


Resident Evil: The Kim Possible Files

by DragoLord19D, mezzicstorm



Series: Resident Evil: The Kim Possible Files [1]
Category: Kim Possible (Cartoon), Resident Evil - All Media Types
Genre: Complete, Doom, F/F, Predators - Freeform, Zombies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-10
Updated: 2012-12-10
Packaged: 2017-11-20 19:51:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 96,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/589042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragoLord19D/pseuds/DragoLord19D, https://archiveofourown.org/users/mezzicstorm/pseuds/mezzicstorm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What do you get when you mix KiGo, Zombies, a little bit of Boom-Stick, and a whole lot of DOOM? This story!</p><p>Now, Read and Review Me Suckers!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**_Unfinished Business_ **

_A small island hideout, somewhere in the Pacific_

She stares at the computer monitor in disbelief; in fact, she's been staring at the damn thing for the past four hours. The message on the screen has been staring back at her for just as long. The message is incredible, unbelievable, and pure fantasy, laced around genetic techno-babble and pages of math that use way more consonants than numbers. The last line is what has grabbed her attention for the past four hours: A cure is possible.

_Bullshit! It can't be done!_ She had come to terms with herself long ago and her powers were what gave her the edge when she needed it. Governments knew her by reputation and deed, and many have her on an 'arrest on sight' warrant. She had made quite a lot of money gaining that reputation and could live comfortably for many years if she'd so desired. But there was always the next challenge, the next thrill. She couldn't get away from it, and never tried to anyway. But this! This was different, unexpected.

She knew the Corporation's reputation, built on pharmaceutical research and certain breakthroughs in genetic engineering and viral testing. But, being who she is, she knows the Corporation's shadowy dealings and quasi-ethical underpinnings. Nothing concrete of course, but alleged this, and cover-up that, and the star witness died of a sudden heart attack later, she knew just how efficient they were. She could respect that. Their security was top-notch, almost military in their paranoia. This little-known branch of the Corporation would guard only their highest priority research sites and projects; of course it was sheer coincidence that those sites and projects were of the quasi-legal kind. She has an eye and nose for these things. She feels a surge of pride that she has caught the attention of such an august group.

She stretches her arm over the keyboard, dangling her fingers over the keys to loosen up the tiredness that has developed over this one message. Her hand moves over to the wireless mouse and she moves the cursor to the attachments and clicks on it. Satellite photos pop up on the screen, teasing her with a glimpse of hope.

Every journey starts with a single step and she so enjoys a challenge! She commits the GPS data to memory as she cycles through the photos. It would still be laughably simple and not much of a true challenge, unless…

A smile appears on her lips. Yes. That would make things _much_ more interesting! Her fingers start typing feverishly at the keyboard. It's a simple matter to hack the account and she sends everything she has to it along with a small teaser. With a small chuckle of glee, she clicks "SEND". It's done; the first step has been taken.

_That should pique her interest_ , she thinks, _now take the bait_. She thinks back over the last fight they had over four months ago. The battle was intense and hard on her, she had to admit. But it had taken them both to a whole new level; the subtext and innuendo were there as usual. The smiles from the thrill of facing a worthy opponent was present, but the innuendo at some point changed into outright flirting on her part and to her shock and secret delight, her advances weren't outright spurned but received! Then the truly unexpected happened, an underhanded, and dirty, below the belt sneak attack from hell! Of course it was because of that sneak attack and the shock of it, combined with her jumbled emotions that led to her swift defeat…again…for like the millionth time. _Four months. Damn, this is gonna be fun!_

She clicks back over to the message and stares at it again. She'll have to pack and get everything ready. She clicks on the "DELETE" button and waits as the message disappears. The last thing that disappears is the Corporation's logo: a stylized Umbrella in red and white. She enjoys a challenge, but _revels_ in the game, and what a game it's going to be!

* * *

_Middleton, Kim's house, early morning_

She knew that her e-mail account had been hacked and a quick message to Wade confirmed it. Breakfast was just being put on the table and already there was drama. Fortunately it didn't last long; Wade called right after she was done eating.

"Wade? What's the sitch?"

"Kim, you're not going to believe who hacked your e-mail!"

"Who was it?"

"Shego!"

"Shego? Wha-why?"

"I don't know. She inserted a message for you and a bunch of attachments. I've scanned everything and it's all clean."

"Why would she e-mail me?"

"I combed through the message and…wow!"

"What is it?"

"Kim," he says in an incredulous voice, "they found a way to reverse Shego's powers and make her normal again."

"No way! Who?"

"I'm not exactly sure yet, but it looks legit. I'll have to spend some serious nights on this stuff to figure it out. Here, I'm sending you the message back and all the attachments with it. Read pages one and two, the next twenty or so pages are a bit difficult to read, even for me."

The Kimmunicator beeps as he sends her the message. "Check it out when you get a chance; I'll get back to you when I figure some of this stuff out. Later."

"Thanks Wade, talk to you later."

She opens the Kimmunicator and opens the message and her eyes go wide at the highlighted words: A cure is possible. She skims over the technical details and the theories involved and then she scrolls past them to the end of the message. There is the dangling carrot that tugs at her insides and makes her heart skip a beat and then swell in excitement.

_"You know where I'm going. I'm gonna rob them blind until I get what I want._

_You think you have what it takes to stop me?_

_Then come get me._

_Just try._

_We have_ unfinished business, _princess!_

_You got the drop on me last time, it won't happen again!"_

Her heart pounds in her chest. The last time they fought was just over four months ago, and it started like all the rest. _She_ had stolen a high-tech gizmo but she had the drop on _her_. The fight was tough, no quarter was asked as none was ever given and she had to push herself to the limits to stay a half step ahead of _her_. They both reveled in the thrill of single combat, but this fight was different, more…intense. They tested and probed each other to the fullest, even going out of their way to extend the fight when opportunities arose for either of them to finish the other off. It was more than a game, more than a fight; it was total and complete, body, mind and spirit working as one against the other, each a reflection of the other.

Then the tactics changed and the flirting began. The balance shifted to _her_ favor and it looked like _she_ would come out victorious. What really sent her off-balance was the fact that she wasn't absolutely disgusted with the idea and that scared her at first. The smallest feeling of the brush of those dark lips charged her emotions in a way that she never thought possible. She had found herself pinned down on the metal floor at the mercy of _her_. She still remembers the smell of _her_ , the shocking sensation of _her_ hair as it tickles across her cheeks. But what gave her pause was what those dark eyes said; all of the things never spoken were screaming their intent from those bottomless orbs. _Her_ face came closer with a wicked grin of triumph and something ever so much more. She had nowhere to go, no place to run, she was held fast by _her_. She did the only thing she could think of, given the circumstances.

She kissed _her_.

It was powerful, like a punch to the face. She remembers the rush of blood and her heart threatening to burst at the contact. Reality and the world were ripped asunder at that climactic moment. Emotion poured forth and an answer was given to all that was unspoken. She now had the power over _her_. It was as if _her_ body refused to cooperate, paralyzed from the sudden attack. She was able to capitalize on this and turn the tables on her foe. Victory was pried from the jaws of defeat by a kiss.

It felt _so_ right! It _was_ right! And it was all she could think of for the past four months. She knew that she'd escape from prison quickly and true enough she wasn't in there a week. But then nothing, not a word, or even a hint of one. And now this!

Kim opened the attachments and looked at the various satellite photos and the areas marked with red dots. She smiles as she calls Wade back.

"What's up Kim?"

"I need transportation," she says resolutely.

"So you're gonna go then?"

"Yes, Shego and I have some… _unfinished_ business…"


	2. Chapter 1

****The Start of a Long Day** **

**Shego**

**_Raccoon City – A little before sundown_ **

The shuttle lands with all stealth systems green. The two-seater is a personal favorite of hers, quick, compact and light enough to land safely on building rooftops. She lands on top of an apartment building next to one of her targets. She exits the shuttle and engages the anti-intrusion mechanism and steps over to the edge of the roof and looks down. The wind picks up scattering her hair from twenty stories up. But her eyes train on the building next door, a smaller building about half the size of the apartment. Publicly it is listed as a warehouse, one of many owned by Umbrella Corporation throughout the city, but she isn't interested in what's inside, rather she's interested in what lies beneath.

She draws her arms out and leaps off the roof, letting gravity take hold. Her arms reach out as she falls and grabs a stout flagpole and flips around then dives down toward the fire escape. She lands feet first on the mesh floor with minimal sound. She smirks; _eat your heart out, Kimmie!_ Instead of taking the stairs she leaps down level by level until she lands in the side alley. A quick glance to and fro and she remains unseen. The manhole cover is easily lifted and she holds her nose but the stench still hits her like a ton of bricks. She descends down and moves the manhole cover back before entering the sewers.

She takes a flashlight out of her pack and switches it on. She takes out a custom made GPS finder and scanner and moves around in a circle as it orients itself. She types in the coordinates from memory and waits as it searches for a most direct route. Harsh squeaks and hissing come from the darkness ahead of her. Multiple pairs of red eyes illuminate the darkness and she moves the flashlight toward that direction. A large pack of rats larger than any she's ever seen before hiss and squeak at her as they advance. She puts the scanner away and raises her open hand and then clenches it in a fist. It's a simple matter to activate the aura of plasma around her fist. The rats see it and stop. She extends her fist, aiming for just below the closest rat. A beam of green plasma shoots out scorching the ground directly in front of the rat. It hisses and jumps back and then scatters back into the darkness along with the rest of the pack.

 _So much for that_ , she thinks to herself. She takes the scanner back out and moves in the direction planned out for her. The sewer twists and turns, and the air gets colder the deeper she descends. She stops as she hears noise coming from up ahead. The flashlight is shut off immediately and she engages her stealth belt, a contraption from Dr. D that actually works for a time. Far away down the tunnel she sees light and movement as she spies several figures clad in what she assumes to be full riot armor and she sees the glint of automatic weapons drawn. They continue down the far end of the tunnel, totally bypassing her.

Then the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as a horrifying roar shudders throughout the sewers, followed by screams of agony and the chatter of weapons fire. She stands frozen in place as the weapons fire dies down as do the screams. Then the only sound she can hear is the heavy thudding of her heart in her chest. Then another blood-curdling roar echoes through the tunnel, making her heart stop. It's unlike any noise she's ever heard before, and then another sound of claws scraping against stone, and then stone giving way.

Silence. Stillness. It takes her a while to summon the will to make her legs move. She turns on her flashlight and eventually makes her way down the tunnel and feels bile and everything else inside her rise up to her throat at the sight.

Blood was everywhere! Pieces of what used to be human beings littered the ground. A human torso, still in armor, hung from the ceiling of the tunnel attached by its own entrails. Arms and legs were strewn throughout the floor and walls, except for a massive gaping hole in the wall than led down. She turned away at the sight of the carnage, using every ounce of willpower to keep from throwing up. The smell from the gore makes her head spin and she backs up the way she came.

 _What the fuck happened? Did a goddamn bear and tiger get loose from the zoo and team up? What kind of goddamn armor are they wearing?_ She takes another step back and hears the sound of glass breaking from underneath her boot. She sidesteps and takes out her flashlight and turns it on. On the ground is a glass and metal tube that was broken before she stepped on it. She picks up one end carefully and inspects it. A small drop of purple liquid clings to the inside of the tube. It has a weird smell to it and she carefully places it back on the ground. She has to summon the will to go through the carnage and she does so quickly, trying not to look at anything and to keep from slipping on the blood-slicked floor.

She makes it past the carnage and her stomach rebels again. She forces it back down and the effort makes her sweat. The stealth belt beeps once and the stealth field drops. _At least it worked_ , she thought. She leans against the wall of the sewer tunnel as she regains her strength and tries to calm her nerves. It's a long time before she looks at the scanner and continues on.

The tunnels lead her deeper and deeper into the earth. There's a small clock on the scanner and it reports that she'd been walking for three hours now, following the prescribed path the scanner has made for her. Her legs were getting tired but at least the temperature was getting warmer again. A locked metal pressure door tells her that she was nearing her goal. The metal casing that is the door is very thick and a quick press of a button on the scanner scans out for twenty meters, she feels fortunate that the scan pierced through the door. There were no life signs other than hers.

She kneels down and opens her pack and takes out a small laptop and attached card hacker. Hacking the security codes would be a nominal challenge at best, but whoever sent her the message also gave her access codes which she had already committed to memory. That made her wonder; it wasn't like she had any _real_ friends, and why would someone from Umbrella want to help her? _Could it be a trap?_ That was the most likely answer. But she never met a trap or prison she couldn't break out of so she wasn't exactly worried. Although whatever happened in the tunnels certainly shook her to her core, but she always had her plasma powers to fall back on when she needed them. _So, no problemo, right? Right? Then what's this feeling in the pit of my stomach?_

She slips the card in the slot and puts in the code. The red light turns green and several clicking noises come from the side of the door in quick succession. She turns the handle and has to grunt as she slowly opens the heavy door inward. She moves in, and keeps the door slightly ajar in case she needs a quick exit. She did it; she was now inside Umbrella's lab.

The scanner zooms in giving her a highly detailed floor plan. The lines show the small storage room she's in and tiny green dots make their way throughout the room to the ventilation system. She finds it easily and it's a simple matter for her to undo the screws attaching the screen to the wall. She stacks a few heavy boxes under the ventilation shaft and climbs in, holding the flashlight in her teeth.

Its slow going as the shaft isn't exactly made for a person to crawl through and she has to stop at every intersection and check her scanner. The fun part is having to climb _up_ a shaft to the next level, and then somehow make it _down_ another. A feeling of claustrophobia is only strengthened by the tight confines of the shaft as she shuffles and shimmies further in. Even though cold air flows through the shaft her exertions cause her to sweat. Thankfully she reaches a central chamber that's larger than the shaft. Ten feet below her is a massive fan humming a steady tone and revolving quite fast.

She checks the scanner again and it tells her that she needs to go up. She sighs in frustration as she turns over and faces up. The shaft she needs to get to is on the other side of the central chamber and is over twenty feet up. She reaches for her pack and opens it. She pulls out a coil of rope and attaches it to a small grapple gun. She takes careful aim and fires. The grapple pierces through the soft metal of the shaft. She takes a metal spike out of her pack and wraps the rope around it tight and then slams it into the shaft she's in. She tests the tension on the rope and then climbs to the other shaft. Then it's another round of crawling through the ductwork.

After going through a maze of shafts the scanner beeps. She stops at a vent screen that leads to the room below and unscrews it. She carefully places it further down the shaft and stares down the opening. A bright white floor stares back at her and its close enough for her to jump down. She does, landing on her feet.

The sounds of multiple assault rifles cocking to the ready confirmed her initial thoughts and a muffled voice shouts from behind her.

"Freeze!"

She turns to see more guards clad in the armor like before, six of them to be exact, with every gun pointed at her. She smiles as she drops her pack and keeps her hands low to her hips in a non-threatening gesture of surrender.

"Damn, ya got me," she exclaims with a chuckle, "I fell for it hook, line and sinker!"

"Shut up," the man commands as he moved in.

She's quicker.

Her plasma flares to life instantly, surrounding her in a green aura of power. The guns fire, but the bullets melt before they reach her. She strikes out with a fist at the nearest guard hitting him square in the chest plate. The armor absorbs some of the impact but not the heat, unlike the floor, which curiously isn't even smoking. The guard grunts as his armor begins to melt, then he starts screaming as he feverishly tries to remove the chest plate before, wait, never mind.

The five remaining guards fall back, reload and fire again. Lazily she brings her hands forward and beams of plasma shoot out. The guards scatter as the beams hit the white floor, but leave no scorch marks.

"Nice place you got here," she says casually.

"Fall back," one armored guard yells to the others.

A door opens behind them as they comply while laying down suppressing fire. Slowly, deliberately, she walks toward them charging plasma into her fists. She unleashes her plasma fury as the first guard exits. One of the guards steps up to the plate and meets his fate as he steps in front of the onslaught and takes the brunt of the attack so the others could escape. He disappears in a hell of green fire.

They get out as she walks slowly toward them charging up for another attack. The last guard slams the door shut behind him and activates the lock just as she unleashes another powerful blast. The blast hit the door and dissipated. The door shows no signs of damage whatsoever. She makes it to the door but there's no knob, latch, or security access for her to manipulate. She slams her fists against it in anger. Then a loudspeaker comes to life with a dispassionate male voice.

_"Welcome, Shego. We have been expecting you for quite some time. Welcome to Umbrella."_

"What the fuck do you want with me," she says screaming at the voice.

_"All in due time, but for now, rest."_

A hissing noise issues from everywhere in the room as small ducts open all over the floor and a faint white gas starts spewing forth. She runs over to the open duct in the ceiling just in time to see the screen being put back into place. She fires bolts of plasma at the vents, trying to melt the vents close before the gas gets her. She coughs and holds what little breath she has left as her mind feverishly works at a plan for escape. Then her brain gets light-headed and the muscles in her arms and legs begin to numb. Her vision blurs and then everything fades to black as the rest of her body goes numb.


	3. Chapter 2

**Welcome to Raccoon City**

**Population: 14,134… 13,342… 11,845…**

**Kim Possible**

**_Raccoon City – After dark_ **

The WUMP-WUMP-WUMP of the helicopter fills her ears even through her helmet. Curiously all transport tubes leading to and from Raccoon City were down so she had to make other transportation arrangements. Wade stepped up to the plate and got her different transportation culminating with this. The ride was long and uncomfortable but here they were, the glistening night lights of Raccoon City twinkled below her. The helicopter swung around as it descended toward a lighted landing pad on the roof of the Channel 12 News building. The news chopper finally lands and the door opens as the pilot waves at her, smiles and gives her a thumbs up. She smiles back and nods in appreciation then leaves. The news chopper takes off to make its rounds.

She's wearing her old work outfit, the black one that exposes her midriff plus a few extra gadgets Wade made for her. The head of Channel 12 News is on the roof to greet her. He is an older man in his fifties with graying hair and a deep receding hairline. He's wearing a dull gray executive suit and he smiles at her and extends his hand to her as he walks forward.

"If it isn't the Hero of Middleton, "he says brightly, "What brings you to Raccoon City?"

"Thank you," she says returning the smile and the handshake, "It's Shego. She's here."

"S-Shego," he asks as his smile fades instantly, "Are you sure?"

"Yes sir. I don't know what she's after yet, but whatever it is, I'm here to stop it!"

His smile returns somewhat. "Good to hear, good to hear. So, you are okay with the arrangement, then?"

"Yes sir, I'll be more than happy to give you and Channel 12 an exclusive interview after I get her back behind bars. I want to thank you, sir, for picking me up after all."

He motions for her to follow him to the stairway. "It was no problem, no problem at all. We're happy to help. Your name has traveled far and wide, Kim Possible."

She follows him to the stairs and smiles at the compliment. He leads her inside the building and down several flights of stairs to the main lobby. "Is there anything you need," he asks.

She shakes her head and pats her backpack, "No, I got everything I need right here."

"Well, good luck then and happy hunting," he says offering his hand again.

"Thanks," she says and shakes his hand firmly.

She leaves the Channel 12 building and down the stairs to the street below. Throngs of people walk past her and even at this late hour Raccoon City seems vibrant and alive. She feels a pang of guilt that Ron couldn't come with her as he was in Japan visiting Yori. She thought about asking Monique if she wanted to come but then decided against it. Ever since their last fight she had wanted to bring her down alone and this was the perfect opportunity, especially if…

She could feel her face blush and she tries to shake those thoughts from her head and succeeds for the moment. _Stay focused_ , she admonishes herself, _and you have to find her first_. She finds the nearest empty bench with a street light over it, sits down, and unzips her backpack. She pulls out a black 3-ring binder that has the entirety of Shego's message in it. It took most of the ink from her printer but she wanted to keep it handy for reference. She opens the binder and rereads the first two pages for like the fiftieth time and then flips the pages to the printed satellite photos. She zeroes in on a photo of a warehouse building highlighted as being owned by the Umbrella Corporation, the conglomerate that Shego believes holds a cure for her. She did a search on the internet about Umbrella Corp. and found nothing to indicate that they had the technology, but then again, she isn't as good at this stuff as Wade is.

She flips open her Kimmunicator and calls Wade. It takes longer to connect for some reason even though it shows maximum signal strength. The picture is nothing but static and it fails to connect. She tries again but gets the same result. _That's odd-_

Her internal dialogue is interrupted by the sound of an explosion in the distance. She turns toward the sound and sees the glow of the rising fireball over the mass of cars and trucks lining the road. Whatever caused the explosion is blocks and blocks away from where Kim is, and she quickly puts the binder away, she slings the backpack over her shoulder and starts running toward the explosion.

People run away from the fire screaming as Kim tries to press through the crowd to get to the scene of the fire. A fuel truck is overturned and what's left of it after the explosion is on fire. Bodies lie on the ground, most are charred beyond recognition. The heat is so strong that she can't get close enough to help the ones that are still moving. Kim attempts to ignore the pain and moves in closer and then stops, her eyes wide in shock.

A horribly burned man near the gas truck slowly rises to stand. Bits of him are still on fire as he reaches his full height but he doesn't seem to pay attention. He turns toward her slowly and starts to walk toward her in a shambling gait. He moans and reaches his arms out toward her.

Kim takes an involuntary step back, then another. He keeps shambling toward her, moaning. His outstretched fingers fall off as he nears. Kim backs away as she can feel the heat emanating from him. His face is simply gone, burned away but his mouth opens wide as his moan turns into a feral growl. She sidesteps out of his reach just as he lunges for her. An unfortunate fireman stood behind her and he screams as the shambling man tears into his throat!

She stares in complete horror at the sight. The fireman pushes the man away and clutches the wound at his neck as he falls to his knees. The shambling man lunges again but this time Kim reacts. She kicks the man from the side and her boot _hisses_ from the contact. The blow sends the man reeling back into the flames. She's at the side of the injured fireman in an instant.

"Are you okay?"

"It's not bad," he says grunting in pain.

"Here, let me help you up," she says.

She tries to help him up but his attention is fixed elsewhere. His eyes go wide in disbelief as he sees other charred bodies begin to rise. He grabs his fire axe and shoves Kim away as the bodies descend on him. He swings his axe at them as Kim falls to the asphalt roughly. He hits one, then another but the bodies press on him, groping and biting. He screams in panic and then changes to a blood-curdling death scream as the horrific feast begins.

Kim stares in mute horror as panic begins to overwhelm her. She forces it down as the charred bodies begin lurching tourge horrified onlookers. She tumbles backward and kips up on her feet as a charred man lunges at her. She kicks him hard in the face; the impact sends him sprawling to the ground. She turns to the now panicking mob.

"Run!"

The crowd had already started running for their lives before Kim yelled but a few unfortunates were grabbed by these horrors. Her gloves sizzle as she grabs on and pulls it off of a screaming woman, but the damage had already been done to her as she falls to the ground. The horror reacts with surprising strength, turning to her and growls as it attempts to bite her. She lets go and dodges the clumsy attack. Her gloves hiss again as she connects a punch to the things' face and gut. It falls down but slowly starts to get back up. She kicks it in the face, but it starts to get up again.

Her brain shuts down as more horrors attempt to surround her and the survival instinct kicks in. She bolts. She doesn't know where, she doesn't care, just get away! She joins the crowd as they all run in terror as their fallen loved ones start to rise up as new horrors. The crowd disperses as people break away and enter buildings, cars, and any other place they can find safety. Kim runs past the Channel 12 News building and stops further down the street to catch her breath. Police in riot gear and their elite S.W.A.T division were now lining the streets with weapons and shields out.

"Get down! Get outta the way," a policeman says yelling at her.

She dives to the sidewalk and hides behind a set of steps that lead into a building.

"Fire!"

She covers her ears as the sharp chatter of the rifles fire. She turns to the oncoming rush of horrors and stares in disbelief as the first line of them take hits but keep coming! One takes a few hits in the head and it drops, unmoving. She jumps involuntarily as a loud BOOM drowns out the gun fire, and then another. She turns back to the police and sees two S.W.A.T. team members with assault shot guns, spewing forth destruction. She turns back at the horde that keeps growing bigger. The shotguns have more effect than the rifles, blasting away a horror with each hit. Kim's disbelief turns into terror as she sees a victim of a horror feeding on it rise up as one of them, and then another, and another. Gangs of the things broke off from the main group at each building they passed and shambled into them looking for more victims. Still the pressing line of monsters continues forward.

"Fall back!"

The police and S.W.A.T. team fall back and regroup. Kim doesn't stay to become lunch and she follows, sticking to the buildings. The police suddenly stop a block ahead of her as half of them turn around and are pounced on by another group of those monsters. Kim stops too, eyes wide in shock. Her legs feel weak but her survival instinct is in overdrive. She looks to the right and runs down the thin alleyway between two buildings. She runs all the way down to the end which is a chain fence. It's easy enough for her to climb up and over and she screams and jumps back as hands suddenly grab for her through the fence. She backs away as the things press against the fence and more join behind them and press forward. The fence strains and her mind comes to life and she realizes that the fence won't last. She glances around, and there's a small wooden back door to the building but that's not a good option. She looks up as she opens her backpack, fumbling for her grapple gun. She grabs it just as the fence starts to give way.

She aims up and fires as the horde descends on her, moaning, growling and gnashing their teeth. She takes to the air just as they are about to smother her. She uses her momentum and flips forward as she clears the roof and as she comes down she lands feet first. Now that her brain's working again she takes a moment to pause, think, and breathe.

Then she hears it. An echo of a wail joins another, which joins a scream of agony, which joins more. They combine and from below it's as if the city itself cries out in anguish to Kim. The cries increase throughout the city. She shuts her eyes tight and jams her hands against her ears to shut it out.

It doesn't work.

Her brain shuts down again against the horror of it all. All except for a small sliver as synapses fire and form an image and sear it into her mind.

"Shego!"

The image is enough to jump start the rest of her brain back into action. _Find Shego! Gotta find her before its too late!_ She runs over to the rooftop door and locks it. She makes her way around the perimeter of the roof and gauges the distances between the buildings around her. Fortunately they are all within easy jumping distance. She unhooks her grapple and hits a switch on her grapple gun and it winds the line and hook back in. Suddenly there's a thumping noise at the door, followed by groaning and scraping.

_I'm outta time_ , she thinks to herself. She looks across the way to the next rooftop. She bolts for it as the door bursts open and zombies pour forth. She reaches the edge and leaps. Time seems to slow down as she looks down and sees the thin alleyway full of the rabid things. Her feet hit solid ground but she doesn't break her stride as she zeroes in on the next rooftop. The rooftop is further away than the previous one. She leaps and makes it! Her momentum causes her to roll forward but she rolls up to her feet in an instant. She makes a beeline for the rooftop door and checks it. This one is padlocked and bolted.

Kim's breathing is labored and she wipes streams of sweat from her forehead. Her heart thunders in her chest and her lungs are on fire. She hears moans from a rooftop close to the one she's on and she jerks her head to the direction of the moan. Even in the dim light she could make out the form of a zombie slowly shambling toward her, its arms outstretched. She watches in horrified amazement as it makes its way toward her. It reaches the edge of the roof and keeps going. It falls, coming nowhere close enough to make it across. She hears it splatter sickeningly on the ground below.

_Whatever it is that changes them doesn't make them very bright, or fast_ , she thinks to herself. _File that for reference, now to find Shego._ She opens her backpack and takes out the 3-ring bind and flips through it to the satellite photo of the highlighted warehouse building. She stares at the photo and then looks around at the surrounding rooftops. Her heart sinks as she comes to the realization that the building in the photo has no real distinguishing features, and the buildings around her all generally look the same. _I'm not gonna give up! Not until I find you, Shego!_

The rooftop door thuds. She crams the binder back in the backpack and closes it as the door thuds again. She crouches in a defensive position, fists at the ready. The door shudders from another hit and then there is a loud boom as the pad lock disintegrates. She dives to the side as she hears buckshot whizzing past her. Another shot and the door is no more. A guy in jeans and blue sleeved shirt rushes through the opening, clutching a shotgun in one hand and holding the hand of a young, terrified blonde woman wearing a red dress and matching high heels. He pushes her past him as he turns around bringing the shotgun to bear. He fires into the stairway and a zombie explodes in blood and gore. He pumps the shotgun and the spent shell is expelled. He shoved the woman too hard and her momentum was going to carry her over the edge, Kim saw. She runs out from her position and tackles the woman from the side, stopping her forward progress and send them sprawling to the ground. The woman screams in shock.

He fires at the next zombie, obliterating it. He pumps the shotgun again as the woman screams. He turns around pointing the shotgun. Kim is up immediately her arms out in a non-threatening gesture.

"Whoa," she says quickly, "I'm not one of them!"

"Who are you," he asks, his voice almost matching the panic in his eyes.

"I-I'm Kim Possib-BEHIND YOU!"

In one fluid motion he turns back around and fires directly into the oncoming zombie's face. His face is splattered with gore and he steps back wiping his face with his arm. He expels the spent shell and covers the door.

"What are you doing here? How did you get up here?"

"I ran from those things," Kim replies as she helps the frightened woman up.

"Zombies," he says, "Goddamn _zombies_!"

"What did you say your n-name w-was," the woman asks in a hoarse voice from way too much screaming.

"My name's Kim, Kim Possible."

"T-thanks f-f-for s-saving me," the woman stutters, "I'm Annie."

"Ash," the man says, "Do you know what's goin' on here?"

"I have no idea," Kim says shrugging her shoulders. "I came here looking for a-"

She stops, not sure what _exactly_ to say. "Friend," she says finally.

"A friend, huh? Well, fat chance of that happening now."

"I know," she mutters quietly as her face falls.

"Hey! Stay with me here! You know how to use one of these?"

She looks as he produces an M1911 pistol from a holster on his belt. She raises her hands and shakes her head, "No, I'm not into guns."

"It's the only way to stop 'em," he says as he turns halfway toward her, his face intense, "You gotta tap 'em in the head!"

For emphasis he taps the muzzle against his gore-soaked forehead. She declines again and he shrugs and puts the gun back in its holster.

"How are we going to g-get outta here," Annie asks.

"We can't go back the way we came," he says as he wipes the gore from his face with his shirt.

"I've been sticking to the rooftops," Kim says, trying to sound helpful, "they're pretty close and you can jump from one to the other."

"That'll only get us so far," he says sighing tiredly," What happens when we run out of room?"

"Well, I have this," Kim responds as she gets her grapple gun out of her backpack.

Ash gives her a look of utter disbelief. "Who did you say you were again?"

"I'm-my name is Kim Possible."

"The girl from the internet," Annie asks with wide eyes, "The one that says you can-"

"Do anything," Kim finishes with a small shrug of her shoulders, "Yep, that's me."

"Wow! You're like, a hero," Annie exclaims.

"Never heard of ya," he deadpans, "But we'll take any help we can get at this point. We need to find a gun shop; I'm gettin' low on ammo."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, there are more of those zombies down there than up here."

"Girly," he says in frustration, "they'll be comin' up here soon enough, and I for one would like to go down fighting if I got a choice. No offense, but a loaded gun sure improves my chances of livin' longer."

"Sorry," Kim says meekly, feeling her face burn in embarrassment.

To prove his point, sound of moaning and groaning were echoing from the stairway. "We gotta move," he says as he brings the shotgun to bear on the stairway.

Kim and Annie both look over the different rooftops. Kim points to one several buildings away.

"There," she exclaims pointing, "It looks like a mall or something! It should have a sporting goods store in it."

"Sounds good to me," he says as he slings the shotgun across his back, "Let's go!"

Ash, Annie and Kim run as a pair of zombies stumble through the open doorway. Annie leaps first and makes it to the next building, followed by Ash. Kim brings up the rear but she makes it easily, somersaulting through the air and lands perfectly on her feet.

"Nice moves," he says appreciatively.

"Cheerleading," Kim responds.

They run across the roof and leap over to the next building. The rooftop door to this building is wide open and several zombies stumble around aimlessly until they notice the trio. They shamble toward them, groaning and growling in unearthly hunger. The trio rushes past as the zombies lunge at them. Ash and Kim make it past but not Annie. She screams as a zombie grabs her arm and jerks her back.

Ash stops and draws the shotgun quickly. "Annie!"

Annie fights against the zombie and shoves its head away from hers but it bits down on her arm and she screams in pain. Kim and Ash run toward her. Ash uses the stock of the shotgun as a battering ram to the zombie's face. Kim runs interference and roundhouse kicks another zombie away. The other zombie lunges at her but she catches its arms and falls backward pulling the zombie with her. She raises her feet up to the monster's stomach as she falls back and pushes up with her feet as hard as she can, the zombie goes flying and she's on her feet in an instant.

The impact of the shotgun to the face causes the zombie to lose its grip on Annie. She staggers back, clutching her bleeding arm as Ash smashes the zombie again. As it hits the ground he flips the shotgun over and presses the trigger. Boom. Dead. For good, this time.

The other zombies start to rise up and Kim runs and leaps into the air. Her boot connects to the zombie's face and sends it flying over the edge of the roof. She leaps at the other and connects with a vicious kick to its midsection. It doubles forward and she uppercuts with both fists connecting squarely on its chin. It bounces off of the rooftop once and then teeters over the edge. She runs at it and drops, sliding on the rooftop with a leg extended toward it. Her boot hits, knocking the zombie off the roof to the street below. She flips backward before her momentum carries her over and she lands in a crouching position a safe distance away from the edge. She gets up and runs over to Ash and Annie.

"How bad is it?" she asks.

Her breath catches in her throat at the sight of the wound. A small part of her arm was torn through, exposing a bit of bone beneath and blood poured from the open gash but it didn't look like any major arteries were severed.

"Hold the wound tight," Kim commanded as she pulled off her backpack and opened it.

She brought plenty of bandages, antiseptic spray, and other medical supplies in case her eventual fight with Shego turned nasty. She took them out and sprayed the gash in her arm. Annie screamed and cried out in pain while Ash held her arm steady. Kim dressed the wound using as many bandages as she could. "There, that should do it."

"Thank you," Ash says quietly, his voice full of emotion.

"Y-Yes," Annie said in obvious pain, "T-Thank you."

"Welcome," Kim replies soberly, "But you'll need to get proper medical attention for that."

"The entire city's overrun with goddamn zombies," Ash says, his voice straining to break, "I don't think they'd be polite enough to leave the hospitals alone, do you?"

"No. So that means you have to get outta here and get her treated. Do you have a car?"

"Of course, but its parked clear across town! We'll never make it!"

"It's o-okay," Annie stammers bravely, "I-I'll b-be all right. Help me up."

Ash gently helps her up and uses his body to support her weight. "L-Let's go," she says wincing in pain.

Ash half carries, half drags her over to the edge of the rooftop. The building that they hope is the mall is only two buildings away. Luckily the distance between the building they're on and the next isn't very far.

"Ready," Ash asks Annie. She nods. "On the count of three. One. Two. Three!"

They leap as one. They barely make it across, Ash's shoes catch part of the edge of the next rooftop but he teeters dangerously. Kim leaps, easily clearing the distance and flips over Ash and Annie. She twists in midair and lands in front of them, facing them. She grabs them and jerks backwards as hard as she can. It saves them from a falling death as they crash into her. The air is forcibly expelled from her lungs as they land on top of her. They roll off of her and Ash helps her up as she catches her breath.

"Thanks for that," he says.

"No…big," she manages to reply.

They make their way across the roof slowly, eyes darting back and forth for any indication of zombies. They reach the edge, and two more leaps to go and they make it to the mall, hopefully. Ash counts down again and they leap. They make it this time and Kim jumps over and joins them. One more!

More zombies shamble around this roof and Ash pulls the shotgun out. One zombie sees them and starts shambling toward them. He fires, blowing the zombie's head off. He pumps the gun as the noise attracts the others. He fires two shells in quick succession and two more zombies drop, headless. Ash fires a third shot but all he gets is a slight clicking noise. He drops the shotgun and reaches for the M1911.

"I'm out," he says as he brings the pistol to bear.

Six zombies advance. Kim balls her hands into fists, and her knuckles pop. Annie steps behind Ash as he takes careful aim. Over to the left Kim spies a flag pole and runs toward it as he pulls the trigger. A zombie's left eye disappears and gore splatters the zombie directly behind it as it falls to the ground.

Kim reaches the flagpole and kicks it as hard as she can. It dents the steel, but it doesn't break. Ash fires again and another zombie drops. "Hey," Kim yells, waving frantically.

Ash sees her out of the corner of his eye and turns his head as she points at the flagpole where she wants him to hit it and then quickly rolls out of the way. He fires two shots. Both hit their mark as he turns back and fires at the nearest zombie. Kim kicks the flagpole again and this time it breaks. She grabs it and twirls the pole around her like a staff. The flag falls and she throws it out of her way and then runs toward the advancing zombies.

In a flurry of movement she hits the initial wave of zombies with quick strikes and sweeps, knocking every one off of their feet. She wades through the zombies as more keep appearing, not thinking about what they are or who they were, instead focusing on her moves and strikes. Ash and Annie advance through the path Kim makes; Ash picks his shots carefully, firing only on the zombies that are too close for comfort.

Kim flips over one zombie and slides the pole underneath its legs and sweeps out, knocking its leg out from under it. She twirls the pole around her neck, knocking two more zombies to the ground. She keeps the pole in constant motion, twirling it around herself to keep the zombie's at bay. Suddenly she feels something grab her boot. She looks down as a zombie crawls toward her. Then its head explodes as Ash fires. She doesn't stop to thank him, there's no time. She continues her 'pole dance' and wades through the ever increasing number of zombies.

Ash keeps firing until the clip is empty. He ejects the clip, and slaps another in place in one fluid motion and fires again. Kim uses the pole for maximum effect as they near the edge of the building. They're close enough now that she can knock them off of the roof with her attacks. One after the other falls to the sidewalk below. Kim reaches the edge and turns around and moves forward so that she is in front of Ash and Annie. The zombies slowly start to stand up and resume their relentless pursuit.

"I don't have enough ammo for all of 'em," Ash says from behind her.

"Options?"

"It's too far for us to jump," he says.

"Open my 'pack and get my grapple gun. Hold on to Annie as tight as you can, aim for the highest spot on the roof, and whatever you do, don't let go of the gun!"

"What about you," Annie asks.

Kim's eyes narrow in grim determination. "I'll hold them off here. I'll join you after you get across."

"How're you gonna do that," Ash asks incredulously.

"Just go, NOW!"

She starts twirling the pole in front of her as the zombies continue their advance. She steps toward them and increases the speed of the revolving pole. She hears the gun go off behind her and Annie scream. Her scream turns into an echo as the horde is on her.

She lashes out with the pole, smashing one zombie's skull and then slams the face of the next three directly to its right. The pole revolves around her neck as she smashes two more zombies from the left. She sweeps and lunges knocking down several more. She never attacked anything with the intent to kill before, but she'd never fought anything like these things before either. _Maybe Ash is right_ , she thinks to herself as she wades into the zombies, _unless I can somehow find a cure for this, I'm not left with many options_. She vaults a zombie over the roof and then another. _I really, REALLY don't like this!_

She sweeps the pole out in a wide arc, catching four zombies across the face. She sweeps again but this time aiming for the legs. More fall to the ground. She changes tactics and rushes forward spinning the pole around her in a dizzying display of skill and speed that is completely lost on the horde. Strike after strike, hit after hit, the horde backs up under the fury of Kim's assault! She keeps up the pressure, her eyes darting to and fro; making sure no zombie is with arms reach of her. When she thinks she has enough room she turns around and makes a dash for the edge of the roof. She gathers more and more speed as she nears the edge. She plants the pole squarely on the edge of the roof and vaults over.

Time does that slowing down thing again as she takes to the air and let's goes of the pole. She flips through the air and twists so she faces the building. The building gets closer and closer. But she can already tell that she misjudged the distance, she was very close, but not close enough. Her hands reach out in vain for the edge but she could see her fingers not quite making it there and she starts to fall to the sidewalk below.

Her final thought is on the woman who had brought her here in the first place. _Sorry Shego, looks like you win in the end after all_. She closes her eyes and waits for the inevitable.

Strong hands grip one outstretched hand and time speeds back up. Ash grunts under the force of her weight as she slams hard into the side of the building. Enormous pain shoots through her arm as it pops out of place as Ash pulls her up to the roof. She tries to scream but there's no air in her lungs to do it. He pulls her over from the edge and falls back onto his butt. Kim's lungs fill with air and she screams, clutching her arm in agony. Her mind tells her through the haze that it's dislocated and needs to be reset. She _knows_ this pain intimately.

"Are you all right?"

"My shoulder!"

"Broken?"

She shakes her head vehemently.

"Dislocated?"

She nods her head vigorously. "I can help," he says as he kneels down next to her, "But it's gonna suck!"

"Do it," she hisses through clenched teeth.

He turns her over onto her back. "Ready?"

"DO IT!"

He balls his one gloved hand into a fist. He exhales quickly and then punches her shoulder hard. There's a popping noise and she screams out in agony. The pain subsides eventually lowering to a dull throb.

"Sorry," he says.

"No…big. Thanks."

He helps her up and she stretches her arm and shoulder and winces immediately, _so not a good idea!_ The trio look around and lucky there are no zombies, for now. Kim and Ash both check the rooftop door and it's triple-padlocked. They make their way toward the center of the roof and stare down through the patterned glass windows.

"It looks like a mall to me," he says.

"I know what one looks like, trust me," Kim says.

The Raccoon City Shopping Center was already closed for the night and all of the shop gates are locked, also it's a long way down to the main floor. Annie coughs and sniffs. Ash hands Kim back her grapple gun. She pushes the button and retracts the cord and grapple. Ash taps his gloved hand against the glass.

"I can get us through the window; can your doohickey there hold all of our weight?"

"Easily," she replies as she opens her backpack and takes out three D-hooks and pulls out some of the cord on her gun. She attaches the hooks to the cord and hands a line to Ash and Annie.

"Okay, my turn," he says, "Stand back."

He balls his gloved hand into a fist and screams as he smashes through one of the large glass windows. He backs up a step and turns to Kim, "Your turn, Kimmie."

She feels a flash of hot anger at him using that name. _Hey, that's only for…_ She inhales deeply and lets the anger go. _He doesn't know, don't let it tweak you. So not the drama, Kim, especially right now._ _Focus!_ She secures the line to her belt and Ash does the same. He ties the line securely around Annie's waist.

"Are you okay," he asks her with a look of deep concern, "You're lookin' a little pale."

"My arm hurts and I'm feeling a little lightheaded."

"We'll search for more medical supplies once we're inside," he says reassuringly, "Just hang in there, Annie. I'll get you through this, I promise!"

"Everyone ready," Kim asks.

Ash nods and so does Annie but weakly. Kim looks down to the mall below and aims her gun at the large central stone fountain in the middle of the main floor. She fires and the grapple shoots out. Her aim is true and the grapple pierces the fountain. She extends more cord and backs up until she gets to the base of a large roof fan. She wraps the cord around it several times and pulls the cord as tight as she can. Ash sees what she's doing and helps her pull the cord tight. She ties the cord securely and heads back over to the opening in the window. She attaches the D-hook to the cord and Ash and Annie do the same.

"I'll go first. Wait a few seconds then jump down," she says as they get in line behind her. They nod silently.

She drops through the opening and slides down the cord. True to form the cord holds as Ash and Annie follow a few moments later. Motion lights come on as they slide down. The stone fountain nears closer and closer as more lights come on to dispel the darkness. Her boots touch the fountain and she unhooks from the cord. She splashes into the pool of _cold_ water and pushes back as Ash comes in and de-hooks. Annie is last and de-hooks and Ash catches her in his arms as Kim jumps out of the fountain.

Her lower lip quivers and her teeth chatter from the shock of the cold. She rings out her hair as Ash and Annie get out of the fountain. Ash is soaking wet like Kim, Annie stays relatively dry thanks to him. For Ash it's an improvement as some of the gore is washed off. Kim tries her best to ignore the chill in her bones and darts her eyes from side to side, looking for zombies.

"All clear," she says then adds, "for the moment."

"Damnit," Ash curses as he holds the M1911, "Slide's jammed, it's useless." He tosses the gun to the floor.

Annie suffers through a coughing spell than doubles her over. Ash is at her side in a moment but she waves him off and stands up straight. "We need to find a pharmacy," Kim says as she looks at Annie.

Ash walks over to the display that houses the malls store locations. "Here's one and…ha!"

"What is it," Kim asks.

"They got a large S-Mart outlet here, good! The pharmacy is on this level but the S-Mart is on the second. Let's go."

He takes off with purpose and Annie and Kim follow. It's not a long walk to the pharmacy but they pass the main entrance and the trio notes the swelling number of zombies press against the doors.

"They won't hold for long," he says, "We'd better hurry."

They break out in a brisk jog, Ash leading the way, and Annie pulling up the rear. He stops at the destination but the grate is down and locked. He curses as he slaps the padlock in frustration. "Great! That's just great! I don't suppose you have a set of lock picks in your backpack, huh?"

She shakes her head in the negative, "No, but I have the next best thing."

She pulls a tube of lipstick from her pocket and Ash gives her a quizzical look. "Stand back," Kim says.

They do and she twists the tube. A blue light shoots out from the end and melts the lock. She grabs the grate and heaves upward, the grate moves smoothly. "Where do you get your toys, girly," he asks in amazement.

"It's Kim," she says," and you wouldn't believe me if I told you so don't ask."

"Fair enough," he says shrugging.

The trio enters the pharmacy, grab plastic bags and systematically go down each isle, grabbing whatever they think they may need. They spend less than five minutes in the pharmacy and head out for the stairs. They jog past the main entrance again and even more zombies press against the doors and glass walls. They run up the stairs to the second floor and Ash stops for a moment, looking to the left and right to orient himself. He heads to the right and Kim and Annie follow. He stops in front of a massive double grate with the stenciled words 'S-Mart' above it.

"This is it," he says, "We need to get in there."

"Okay," Kim says as she takes out her laser and melts the locks on the double grate. Ash pushes the grate up so Kim and Annie can enter. The space allocated to S-Mart in the mall is huge and they follow Ash as he seems to be the one who knows where he's going. He passes counters and isles as he stops in front of a sign that says 'Sporting Goods Department'.

"Here we go," he says with a smile.

"What're we looking for," Kim asks as Annie goes through another coughing spell.

"This," he says as he smashes the glass counter with his gloved fist.

He grabs boxes of shotgun shells and stuffs them in his pockets and the bags he's carrying. He turns and smiles as he spies what he wants on the back wall.

"There you are, come to poppa!"

"Hey! What're you doing?"

"What's it looking like, girly? I'm armin' myself. You should too, just in case."

"I told you I don't like guns!"

"An' I don't like dyin'!"

Annie's coughing fit gets worse as she swoons against a shelf, stopping the argument. "Annie? Dearie? Are you okay?"

"I-I don't feel…"

She falls to the floor.

"Annie!" he exclaims as he rushes over to her.

He stops before reaching her. The complexion of her skin changes dramatically right before their eyes, going from a normal slightly tanned skin color to ashen gray. Ash and Kim stare in horror as she convulses violently. The color of her eyes fades to a dirty white. Ash takes a step back in horror as Annie begins to moan.

"Annie! N-no!"

Annie, or what _was_ Annie, slowly starts to rise. Ash lets go of the shotgun as a single tear streams down the side of his cheek. Kim watches in horror as Annie rises, moans and growls and starts to shamble toward Ash.

Ash doesn't care anymore. The fight's left him. He can't see the monster that his girlfriend's become, all he sees is _his_ girl, Annie, smiling at him with outstretched arms. She comes closer and puckers her lips for a kiss that's heavenly bliss! He puckers his own lips in anticipation. He imagines her smell and the heat of her as…

…a loud BOOM brings Ash back to the present as his face is splattered with the remains of his former girlfriend. His eyes open and through the dripping gore he sees that half of Annie's head is gone as the carcass falls to the floor for the final time. He turns and sees Kim kneeling on the floor, a revolver in her hands, her eyes wide in shock and with the realization of what she had just done. The pistol falls from her hands and onto the floor.

"My god, what have I done," she mutters, her eyes still wide in shock.

"You saved me," he replies, his voice breaking slightly, "Thank you."

"Y-you're w-welcome," she stammers.

The echoes of shattering glass and bending metal tell them that their time has run out. Ash runs over to the bath department and grabs a few towels and wipes what's left of… _her_ …off of him and jogs back. Kim is still in the same position, still staring at Annie.

"Hey! Snap out of it! We're outta time!"

Kim's head jerks at the harsh sound of his voice. She stands up as he grabs The Boom-stick from where he dropped it and starts loading it. "Get yourself another gun, something smaller this time. Look for a .45 or a maybe a .40," he says.

"Huh? I don't know much about-"

He sighs. "Fine! Here," he hands her the shotgun, "You saw how I was loading it, right? Good, keep loading it through here until you can't put any more shells in it. I'll find what you need."

The echoes of the groaning get louder as she finishes loading the shotgun. He returns with three M1911's, the revolver Kim had dropped and two backpacks full of ammo and holsters. "Here, put these on," he says as he hands her two drop holsters*.

He puts on the other two around his thighs. She watches what he does and copies him. He hands her two guns and gives her a twenty second crash course in gun safety, aiming, and reloading. He hands her one of the backpacks and helps her put it on over her smaller one as the groans are no longer echoing but are getting very close. He grabs a bright leather sling for the shotgun and puts it on his back.

The groans continue to get louder, and they can hear the soft scraping of feet against the linoleum. "How are we going to get out of here," she asks.

"We'll have to fight our way out," he replies as he twirls the shotgun around his trigger finger in dramatic fashion and then sets it at the ready.

Shadows appear on the far wall as the zombies close in. Ash takes one last look at Annie and then starts walking toward the front. Kim follows. They stop at the entrance/exit to the main mall as more shadows appear on the opposite wall. He turns to her.

"You ready for this?"

" _So_ not," she exclaims looking at him.

He shrugs, but at least she puts her hands on the hilts of her guns. They both turn back to face the far wall and the shadows. "Let's do this," he says and then adds before stepping out, "Come get some!"

* * *

*for those that don't know, Drop holsters are different then hip holsters like what the police wear. They go around your thighs instead of on your hip. It's more comfortable and makes it easier to draw. (Take it for someone who had one on for 16 months.)


	4. Chapter 3

**Welcome to the Hive...**

**Shego**

_The struggle between them left them both sweaty and panting for breath, but in the end she has the upper hand. She grabs the girl's wrists and lifts them above the girl's head, locking the restraints in place. Emerald eyes meet jade as she feels the girl's hot breath against her lips. The girl's eyes close, her mouth opens as she draws near. Their lips touch, but it feels unnaturally cold. So cold!_

She awakens in a single stall steel shower, naked and shivering as ice cold water drips down on her incessantly from the shower head. Panic sets in as the red headed girl in the dream fades but nothing else replaces it. A shivering goose-bumped green arm reaches out for the gray shower curtain and grabs it. She pulls the shower curtain down and wraps it around her in an attempt at modesty as she gets out of the stall.

The dimly lit room beyond is sparsely furnished. A metal chair, a small metal desk, a tidy bed and a wire mesh wastebasket are the only furniture. On top of the desk is a green and black outfit, neatly pressed and folded. She pulls the chair out and finds a pair of black boots with a glove stuffed in each one. She puts the outfit on and is surprised at how well it fits, the boots and gloves included.

_Okay_ , she thinks to herself as she pushes down the panic, _where am I? What am I doing here, and more importantly, WHO am I? Green? Really? What the hell?_

She notes that the tips of the gloves end in razor sharp claws. The clothes fit, the boots, but _claws_? She rubs her temples with her palms as she forces herself to think, but everything is a haze of gray. The only image that appears with any regularity is that redhead girl with the green eyes. _The girl from the dream! Who is she? Why am I kissing her? Are we lovers? How young is she? Am I a…_ She does not complete the thought, but the image of the redhead blazes through the dense mist of her mind.

* * *

_They are fighting again and have been for a long time. She can see rivulets of sweat poring off the brow of the redhead. She must be saying something to the redhead because her expression changes. Her eyes grow darker and she grits her teeth as her hands ball into fists. The redhead leaps at her with a wicked right fist out to strike! My god, she's fast! She sidesteps the attack and catches the redhead as she leaps past, hooking her arms around the redhead's shoulders in a full nelson wrestling move and forces her to the floor. The redhead struggles and is stronger than her wiry frame appears. She is able to squirm around to face her but she pins the redhead's hands behind her back in a firm grip with one hand. The redhead struggles mightily but can't break free from the powerful grip. She says something to the redhead and her struggles cease. She continues to talk to the redhead, but the haze of missing memory will not let her hear what she says to her. The words are obviously affecting the redhead as her expression changes to one of shock as her green eyes go wide and her lower lip quivers. She keeps talking to her and the redhead starts to blush madly! She struggles again but only half-heartedly. The redhead gives up as her arms go limp. The one-sided dialogue continues and the redhead's face turns as red as her hair. The redhead's face gets closer as she leans down. She has beaten the redhead, she won!_

_The redhead's eyes change expression which suddenly confuses her. The fear is gone, replaced by something else that she cannot place at that moment. She can feel the girl's heart pounding against her chest and this excites her! Then her dialogue with the redhead ends abruptly as the girl leans in and KISSES her!_

_How can this young girl have such passion?_

_Heaven explodes from those soft peach-colored lips. Her own body jerks in surprise for a split second but that is all the redhead needs as newfound strength disrupts her balance and then she sees the redhead on top of her. She hears the snapping of handcuffs while still under the redhead's dizzying assault. The victor finally relents; her lips slowly draw back and form into a smile, not one of triumph, but of discovery and a moment shared._

_The redhead fades back into the mist of memory, but she utters a single word before disappearing._

" _Shego…"_

* * *

The memory ends. _Shego. Is that my name or hers? What kind of name is that anyway?_ She shrugs, _oh well, it'll have to do for now._ Now fully back in the present, she looks around the room. The room is a large rectangle with an outline of a metal door but no knob or lever on the wall facing her. There is a window that runs the length of the wall next to the outlined door. She can see a hallway beyond the window with a series of evenly spaced doors outside it. The main lights are out in the hallway, only small red lights flash on and off at irregular intervals. She walks the length of the window staring out into the hallway. Other rooms presumably like hers stare back. On a whim she places a finger against the glass running her clawed finger across it. There is a horrid screeching noise as the claw easily cuts through the glass. _Well at least I know how I'm getting outta here!_

She runs her claws across the length of the widow, and she pushes. The window falls back and shatters in tiny pieces across the floor. She jumps into the hallway carefully walking over the shards of glass. She looks down the hall behind her. All of the doors except hers are open, some wide others just by inches. She turns ahead and it's the same. Both ends of the hallway are open because both metal doors are ripped off their hinges. _What the hell's going on here?_

She makes her way down the long hallway, claws out, with an uneasy feeling turning her stomach into knots. She peers through one broken window as she passes it, but the room is empty. She checks every room she passes but they are all empty. _Something happened here_ , she reasons to herself _, something BIG! I need answers!_

She makes it to the end of the hallway and she steps through the doorway. She takes two steps and stops. The bloody, dismembered bodies of two men in white lab coats lie on the polished floor; their faces contorted into permanent masks of horror. The smell of death hits her as she raises a gloved hand to her mouth in an attempt to cover the stench but she cannot look away from the carnage. One of the dead men has a distinctive scar across his cheek, while both have the red and white stylized logo of an umbrella on their lab coats. Her head snaps back as another memory awakens.

_She remembers being captured and passing out. She feels dizzy as her eyes open. Her arms and legs are manacled and she realizes that she is suspended from her wrists in a glass cylinder. There is movement all around her as she raises her head. She makes out a bald white man in a lab coat through the glass, the scar on his cheek a distinctive feature, one to be remembered for if…WHEN she fucking gets out of here! He activates a console on the outside of the cylinder and her world explodes in pain!_

She staggers back a step as the half-remembered pain and memory fades. She is panting for breath as her eyes fall on the mangled corpse with the scar. She screams in rage as she kicks the remains. She kicks again and again as a stream of curses issue from her mouth. As a last act, she smashes the face of her tormentor under the heel of her boot. The sickening crunch of his skull does nothing to alleviate the hate and rage she feels. Minutes pass before her hands stop shaking on their own.

When she finally recovers her nerve she looks around the room. Desks and chairs are thrown against the far wall of the room and as she looks up she sees a massive hole through the ceiling that extends for several levels beyond. Broken monitors and laptops litter the rest of the floor. A metal door similar to the others she has already seen is slightly open. She steps past the carnage into the next room.

The room is another hallway with rooms exactly like the one she escaped out of. Like before all of these rooms are empty save for the last room on the left. The glass window is shattered and trails of dark blood lead from the shattered glass to the closed door at the end of the hallway. She reaches the door and pulls on the heavy metal latch and it gives way. She grunts as she pulls and the door slowly opens, revealing nothing but darkness beyond.

She readies her clawed gloves, not knowing what to expect, but ready for whatever nightmare may lie beyond. She takes a step into the darkness. Nothing happens. Another step. Nothing. She runs her gloved hand across the wall next to the door until she feels a light switch and flips it. The main lights do not come on but one dull red emergency light flickers to a semblance of life. The room has an operating table with attending tray full of surgical implements. Next to the table is another table full of diagnostic equipment. There is a wall divider in the center of the room, the trails of blood lead around it. She follows the trail around the divider and stops where it ends.

An almost naked boy, maybe ten years old lies face down in a pool of blood at the base of a large glass cylinder. Large shards of glass are imbedded in his arms, legs and feet, they are the source of the trails of blood and the poor kid's demise. But what makes her shudder in horror is the kid's back. A large grotesque eye stares blankly at nothing; the single eye covering the entire surface of the dead boy's back.

_That's…that's not possible_ , her mind rages. _What the fuck's going on here?_ The glass cylinder is like the one in the dream but it is empty. Beyond the cylinder the room continues into lab stations with more glass tubes lining the walls. She walks beyond the unfortunate boy and inspects a cylinder that is still blinking with powered lights.

It is full of a smoky liquid but she can see movement within. She steps forward as a skeletal hand with misshapen claws comes into view and presses against the inside of the glass. A face comes into view and she recoils in horror. The face looks like it was once human but now looks either half melted or half eaten. Most of the flesh and muscle tissue is gone, exposing the skull beneath. One eye socket is empty and the teeth of the jaw are sharpened to points. Slowly the skull moves so that its one eye focuses on her. She steps back again as it feebly taps on the glass where the console attaches to the cylinder. It taps over and over again behind a red button. She raises a clawed finger over the button as the skull nods and stops tapping on the glass. She presses it. The lights on the console darken and the prisoner inside the cylinder ceases to move.

She hears an echo of movement behind her. A moment later she hears a voice.

"We're dead, you know that don't you," a panicky male voice says.

"Shut up," a muffled male voice, like from behind a helmet, responds.

"Oh shit! Do you see that?"

"What, the dead bodies or the huge fuckin' _hole_ in the ceiling?"

"Oh shit! We're so dead!"

"Get a hold of yourself, we're not dead yet."

"But we're trapped here with that… _thing_! We can't make it back to the main facility without power!"

"The cause of all this shit came from the main facility, idiot! You really wanna go back there?"

"Either way, we're dead."

"That's the spirit! Keep up with the cheerful attitude and stay on my good side. You still got that knife I gave ya?"

"For all the good it'll do."

"How 'bout the gun?"

"I got a fresh clip in it, but it's not going to help against those things."

"It will if you hit 'em in th' head, jus' like I showed ya."

"Do you really think we'll find any survivors? That monster took out your entire company along with the rest, what makes you think we'll find anybody?"

"Thermals," the muffled voice says, the tone changing from conversational to dangerous.

She hid behind the cylinder as their footsteps neared. The footsteps stop and she can tell that they are very close. Her claws are raised to strike.

"Come on out," the muffled voice says calmly but firmly, "We aren't your enemy."

She hesitates from her crouching position and then sighs in surrender as she stands. She steps out from behind the cylinder. A large figure in full suit armor and helmet lowers a GODDAMN _GATLING GUN_ trained on her position. Behind him is a young man dressed in a white lab coat.

"Who-who are you," she asks trying to sound brave, keeping her claws out defensively.

"Survivors from hell lookin' for a way out, like you," the armored man says.

"Oh my god," the young scientist exclaims from behind him. "You…"

She finally gets a good look at the panicky man and her head snaps back as another door to her memory opens.

* * *

_It is dark and she cannot see anything but she can hear voices clearly._

" _Doctor Philips," a female voice asks._

" _Yes," An older male voice responds._

" _The Extractor is ready, all lights are green."_

" _Excellent. Run a final check on subject X-11A and run the data analysis, we can't afford any mistakes on this, people!"_

" _Yes sir," she hears a group of voices respond with enthusiasm._

_It is quiet for a while as she feels herself become weightless, and then a shock as cold steel meets bare skin. Clamps and locks snap into place immobilizing her. The shock of the cold jars her eyes open and she is blinded from the searing white light above her._

" _Stage one screens are green, ready to initiate," a young male scientist in the lab coat says. This is the young scientist she recognizes._

_The machine around her hums to life. The flare of white light begins to diminish and she can make out individual shapes of the surrounding scientists._

" _Activate the older male voice commands._

_She screams in pain as needles pierce through her skin from her back, sides, arms and legs. Her body turns to fire as the needle inject whatever liquid hell they contain. Her screams reach another pitch as a new world of pain explodes within her._

" _Stage one complete," the young male scientist reports._

" _Analysis," the older scientist barks._

" _The virus is reacting as we hypothesized. Vital signs are elevated, approaching the safety threshold," a female voice says._

" _Good, and Subject X-11A? Is it ready?"_

" _Yes, Doctor Philips," she answers, "All screens are go."_

" _Stage two screens are green."_

" _Activate."_

_The feed changes, now working in reverse. She feels as if her very soul is being sucked out from her, a rape of her body, her mind, her very essence. Her mind screams at her to fight, but she has no strength with which to resist. The process finishes and the needles retract from her._

" _We have it," the female scientist exclaims in triumph._

" _Vitals," the older scientist asks calmly._

" _Vital signs are slowly returning to normal, she's stabilizing."_

_She can feel the presence of the older scientist in front of her. She forces her eyes to open and uses the last of her will to raise her head to meet his gaze. It is the scientist with the scar across his cheek. She gives him a look of complete hatred before her head is too heavy for her to lift anymore. She wants to die; let the darkness consume her once more. The darkness comes, but she can still hear everything._

" _What do we do with her," the female voice asks._

" _There is still much about her physiology that we do not yet understand. We do not know if her powers will return or what effects the T-virus will have on her. Take her to one of the cells and place her under observation."_

" _Yes sir."_

" _Subject X-11A is ready, sir."_

" _Excellent! Prepare the transfer process…"_

_The voices fade._

* * *

Her head snaps back and she gives the young scientist a murderous look. "You," she says darkly.

He backs away, hands out. "I-I'm sorry! We didn't know what would happen!"

" _You_ ," she says again as she raises her gloved claws.

The Gatling gun is back. "Whoa, hey now! None of that! Don't make me press this trigger!"

"He did this to me," she screams at him, "Him and the one with the scar! They-they _raped_ me!"

"No we didn't," he protests, "we-we…"

He stops from the force of her hateful glare. "You injected me with something and then you took something from me, something inside of me. Why? Why did you do it?"

The Gatling gun slowly moves from her to the scientist. The scientist is dumbfounded as the huge weapon points directly at his face. "I heard Umbrella was into some crazy shit," the armored man says in a dangerous tone, "but rape? I'd start talkin' if I were you!"

"That's-that's not w-what h-happened," he stammers, "The o-object was t-to get her powers from her, and we succeeded! Her powers over plasma were unlike anything we'd ever seen before!"

"You _stole_ it from me," she says darkly, flexing her clawed gloves, "and I want it back!"

The room shudders and shakes as a titanic roar reverberates throughout the facility. "What the hell was that," she asks.

"A big ugly that's killed almost everybody and is preventing us from leavin'," the armored man says as he heaves the Gatling gun to cover the entrance.

"Subject X-11A," the scientist explains, "Your powers were transferred over to the G-Virus subject. Everything went off without a hitch until we lost contact with the main facility shortly after we completed the transfer process. The power went out as well as the safety protocols. Subject X-11A woke up…it was…horrible!"

"Serves you right, asshole," she mutters as she stands over him, "I have other questions. Who am I? What was I doing here in the first place?"

He cringes from the nearness of her claws. "Y-your name is Shego. We sent you a message explaining how we could cure you from your…condition."

"It was a trap," she asks confirming the fact she already knew.

He nods his head vigorously, "Yes. We knew you couldn't resist the offer."

"Okay, who's the redhead that keeps appearing in my dreams?"

He gives her a quizzical look, "Redhead? A girl? I'm not sure."

She turns to the armored figure. "And you. What's your role in all of this?"

He turns around, "I'm just a guard," he says simply, "Stuck in the same situation as you 'cause I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I guard the prototype wing as well as test out the new toys when they are ready."

He pats the weapon with some affection. "And the redhead? You and her tussle from time to time; I've seen it on the news here and there. Her name's Kim, Kim Possible."

_Kim Possible. A name to go with that pretty face._ Another roar echoes throughout the facility, jarring her from her internal monologue. "We need to move," the armored guard says as he moves back into the hallway.

Her attention turns back to the scientist. She grabs him by the scruff of his lab coat and pulls him up to her face. Her look is menacing enough for him to squirm under her powerful grip. "I'm not finished with you yet. When we get out of here we'll continue this conversation."

He gulps and she throws him back to the floor. She walks out and stands behind the taller guard. "Do you know how to use a gun," he asks without turning around.

"I don't think so, my mind's still clouded. If I did, I don't remember."

"They fucked you up _good_ , Shego. A right and proper fuckin' that they had no right doin'. For that I'm sorry. Here."

He lowers the Gatling gun and pulls out an automatic pistol from the holster at his side. "Take this."

She grabs it and stares at his impassive visor. "It has several settings, right here, see? Flips this like this and it's a normal pistol. Flip it to this position and its semi-auto. Flip it all the way over to the side and its full auto. Press this here. See that? Laser sight, very useful. Whatever you aim for always aim for the head, ya got me? Double-tap right between the eyes, it's the only way to be sure."

"Thanks," she says as she grips the gun.

He hands her the holster and a handful of clips. "Dipshit's got the other one, but he can't aim for shit. The main threat is the big ugly but there's others lurkin' 'round here that ain't got no business breathin' if you catch my drift."

"They must be coming through the air ducts from the main facility," the scientist reasons, "That might be our only way back."

"Or we figure out how to get the power back on," the guard says.

The scientist shakes his head, "No. The main power is shut off from the main facility; all we have here are backup generators which are failing. That means no elevators and no power to run the Trans."

"What the hell happened here anyway," Shego asks.

"I don't know," the scientist says, "We lost contact with the main facility and then the power went down."

"Somethin' happened there, an' I'd hate to guess what kind of shit's goin' on over there," the guard remarks.

The trio slowly makes their way down the hallway, the armored guard in front, followed by Shego and then the scientist. They stop as a succession of clicking noises echoes throughout the hallway.

"What's that," the scientist shrieks as he points his gun at the ceiling.

The clicking noises get louder then stop. The next sound is a long exhale followed by another.

The scientist loses it and starts fires at the ceiling. The pistol is on full automatic as it chatters an entire clip's worth of ammo into the ceiling. The overhead lights shatter as Shego bends down and rolls forward to escape the rain of glass.

"Stop, you idiot," the guard cries in vain over the loud chatter of the pistol.

He turns around but the armor is heavy and his movements are slow. The portion of the ceiling directly above the scientist collapses on top of him. Shego stares in fascinated horror as a _thing_ drops down on top of him. It lands on all fours and has a vaguely humanoid shape. Instead of hands and feet the appendages end in large curved claws. The face of the thing has no eyes but has a mouth than unhinges with sharp teeth. A long, wicked tongue protrudes from its maw.

The scientist screams in fear as it leaps off of him. He struggles under the weight of the collapsed ceiling and is caught fast. The thing's movements are fluid, the claws making the clicking sound as they touch the floor. Shego's mind tells her to aim her gun at the thing but her arms refuse to move. The guard has not turned around enough to bring his Gatling gun to bear as the thing moves toward the scientist.

If she blinked she would have missed it, but she did not. The tongue of the thing lashes out at the head of the screaming and struggling scientist. His head splatters from the strength of the blow and his struggles cease forever. It leaps at the scientist, throwing the toppled ceiling off of the body with minimal effort and starts to tearing into the body.

Shego hears the hum of the Gatling gun behind her and she rolls backward until the guard is in front of her. The air is pierced by the screaming weapon as beams of power spew forth from the barrels. The thing barely has time to shriek as it is consumed in fire along with the remains of the scientist. The Gatling gun powers down.

"Stupid mother fucker," the guard rages as he lets out a long stream of curses. He composes himself and turns around.

"What do we do now," Shego asks.

"I don't know," he replies bitterly, "That asshole knew the layout of this place better than me, I was a recent transfer from the main facility."

"Well we need to get out of here somehow. There has to be a way out like an emergency escape hatch or something."

He snorts, "Fat chance of that. We're hundreds of feet underground."

_Underground?_ Her eyes dilate as a brief memory flashes awake in her mind.

_She is sitting at a desk in a dimly lit place staring at a computer screen. She is cycling through satellite pictures of a city and sewer tunnels. The pictures of the sewer tunnels burn into her brain as the images flash as she walks through the tunnels. The rats are there. The carnage of the dead bodies and the horrible roar are there. She sees the metal pressure door as it opens. The door stays open. Then the images change as she watches herself crawl through the ductwork._

"The sewers," she exclaims, "I got here through the sewers! I had to crawl through miles of ductwork but I left the door open in case I need to escape quickly. I remember where I need to go! I was captured in a padded room but I blew up the air duct above me. If we can get back to that room I can get us outta here."

"A padded room," he asks.

She nods.

"Sounds like one of the fireproof rooms we use for testing. I know where they are, but they're on the other end of this facility, two levels up."

"Then that's where we need to go."

"All right."

They enter the room with the gaping hole in the ceiling but the room has several more bodies in it than before. The extra bodies lie face down on the floor and it looks like they dropped down from above.

The weapon swings out at the ready, "Careful," he warns, "Be ready for anything."

"Like what?"

Her answer comes as the bodies moan and groan and begin to stand up slowly. She recoils in horror and stifles a scream. All of the rising bodies are the color of a deep bruise, some missing and arm or a leg, others missing a lower jaw or an eye or a combination of both. They shamble forward.

The massive weapon hums to life and it spews forth fire from right to left, cutting down the bodies and engulfing them in flame. The gun slowly stops spinning after the last body falls.

"What the fuck?"

"Zombies," he answers simply, "I've already encountered a few of 'em. They're slow, but you gotta hit 'em in the head to make sure they stop comin'. Don't let 'em bite you, or else you'll turn into one of 'em. They halfta be comin' from the main facility," he says as he shakes his head, "God damn you Umbrella!"

The fires die out and the stench of burnt decaying flesh assaults her. She suppresses the urge to throw up but only barely. The guard starts throwing desks against the wall, attempting to make makeshift steps to the next level above. Shego helps when she gets her stomach under control. She goes up first and leaps the rest of the way. The guard has a tough time climbing but he eventually makes it up with Shego. Above them the gaping hole continues to the next floor but they are in a hallway with no furniture to make another incline.

"We'll have to find another way up," she says and he nods.

The hallway is completely dark. The guard switches on his helmet lights which provide just enough light to see down the hallway. Several rooms lie open with dead bodies strewn down the hallway. He motions for Shego to use her gun on the bodies. She doesn't like it but she had to admit that he was right; it _is_ the only way to be sure. She plants a round in the head of every body they come across. They reach the end of the long hallway and reach an open elevator shaft.

The guard stares down noting that the elevator is levels below them. The elevator cables are within arm's reach and he stares up through the darkness. The door to the next level is closed but the one beyond is not. He relays this to Shego as they turn at the noise of shuffling feet and moaning.

Shego has her gun out, the laser light disappearing in the darkness. When the guard's helmet turns down the hallway several shambling zombies are coming their way. Shego fires a round and a zombie's head splatters and it drops, but the others keep coming.

"Stand aside, I'll take care of this," he says as his gun hums to life.

She does as ordered and covers her ears as he fires. The hallway lights up from the firing of the gun as the zombies are cut down. Several catch fire and provide a modicum of light as the gun powers down. He turns back around to the elevator as Shego covers the rear with her gun. He presses a button on the gun and releases his hand from it. The harness comes to life as the gun straightens and flips around and attaches itself to his back.

"I'll go first, but stay close. There's no tellin' what could be up there."

The ground shakes a little as a roar echoes throughout the facility, but it sounds far off. She nods, "Be careful."

"Roger that."

He jumps into the shaft and grunts as he catches the elevator cable. He starts climbing. Shego finds herself immersed in darkness and her ears strain for the hint of any noise. She waits for a few moments and then joins the guard in the elevator shaft. She has a better time climbing than he does but she is not weighted down with a massive weapon and armor. They make it to the next level and they can both hear the sounds of groaning from the closed door. They continue on to the next level and the guard stops to make sure it is clear before swinging over and hefts himself over. The gun whines as it moves into the ready position from his back. Shego follows quickly behind him.

They stand in a hallway similar to the ones they were in before. More bodies lay on the ground and Shego puts a round in every head as they walk past. Then end of the hallway ends in another elevator but the console on this one is still lit up.

"Should we try it," he asks her, "We have one more level to go, I think."

"Why not? Let's do it."

He shrugs and presses the button. The doors open.

Shego and the guard are caught by surprise as a pair of lickers jump on both of them. Shego's arm is raised just enough to keep the snapping maw at bay as the weight of the thing bears down on her. She doesn't think, she reacts. She uses the momentum of the horror as she falls back and kicks out as she tumbles backward. The momentum combined with her strength is enough to send the thing flying, but in the process her gun goes sails off into the darkness.

The guard fares worse than Shego. The weight of the thing on top of him makes him fall like a ton of bricks. It claws and bites at him, but the armor holds, for the moment.

Shego is on her feet in an instant but so is the horror across from her. It moves from side to side, its claws clicking with each touch of the floor. Its long tongue is out waving hypnotically in front of it. It makes that exhaling sound as it stalks toward her. She has her gloved claws at the ready, and she is almost caught off guard at the thing's sheer speed as it springs toward her. Its tongue lashes out like a whip aiming directly for her face. She brings her claws to bear and slashes out, timing her attack perfectly. A sizable length of the things tongue is cut off and it screeches in pain as it lands. Wounded, it leaps away from her and resumes it's back and forth movements.

The guard raises an arm to protect his face and the thing bites down. He can feel the pressure from the power of the things bite but the armor holds. He shakes his arm but it refuses to let go. With all of his considerable strength he rolls to his right, knocking the thing off of him and presses it against the wall of the hallway. The claws of the thing scrape against his armor as his free hand fumbles for his knife.

The horror growls and then launches itself at Shego. She gauges the distance, drops down, and raises her claws as it leaps over her. Her claws nearly split the thing in two as it flies past her. It lands in the elevator and moves no more.

He finally grabs hold of the long knife in its sheath, he roars as he slams the blade into the side of the things head. It cries in pain from the attack but the struggles slowly cease. He pulls his arm out of the things mouth and gets up. He wrenches the knife from its head, splitting it apart. He wipes the gore off of the blade onto the thing and puts it back in its sheath. He grabs the legs of the other dead one and pulls it from the elevator and picks up the Gatling gun from the floor.

Shego finds her gun and runs over to him. "Are you okay," she asks, breathing hard.

"I'm fine, the armor's holdin' up pretty good."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I didn't get bit."

"Good, let's go."

They enter the elevator and he presses the button for the next level. The doors close slowly and they feel the elevator move. He trains the Gatling gun at the door as it stops. Shego has her gun out as well. The door opens, but nothing attacks.

Shego steps out first and enters the aftermath of a warzone. The acrid stench of burnt bodies assault her and she doubles over as she tries to stop herself from retching at the scene. The walls of this level are scorched in places, and melted through in others. The small rooms and the hallway was now one vast open area of carnage and death.

"What the fuck happened here," the guard asks as he surveys the scene before him.

She coughs up nothing but bile as her stomach constricts. Her knees buckle and her arms feel heavy as her stomach attempts again to empty itself, but there was nothing to bring up but bile. Strong arms grip her and gently lift her up.

"Stay strong, Shego. We're almost outta here."

She nods and wipes the bile from her lips. "Thanks," she says huskily.

"The fire rooms are this way," he says pointing through a hole in the wall.

A terrific roar pierces the air and the ground shakes from the sound.

"That's too close for comfort," she says.

"Agreed, let's go!"

They run out into the open space as fast as their legs could move. The mounds of charred dead bodies hampered their progress. The ground shakes as an ear-splitting roar arises from the largest mound of bodies. The mound rises as Shego and the guard stop to watch in horrified fascination. Bodies fall as a hulking brute of a horror rises from beneath the bodies. The left arm of the creature is larger than its right. A massive eye blinks and moves of its own accord on the larger shoulder. Its chest hunches forward and is massively muscled. The hands of the creature are huge with elongated powerful fingers and sharp claws. The face of the creature is horrific. Bile and acidic fluid drips from an elongated split maw, full of sharp needle-like teeth. The eyes are dead white orbs that glare madness and malice. Mucus drips from the holes that count as a nose and long, black, stringy hair frames out the rest of the horrific visage.

It roars and rears its arms as bodies go flying. The Gatling gun hums to life and spews forth a stream of deadly fire. It hits the creature and knocks it back, but it does not fall. Shego draws her gun and aims for its face and squeezes off two rounds in quick succession, but all it does is piss it off as it roars again.

The entire floor shakes from its echo!

It staggers forward and bodies fly at Shego and the guard. They dive to opposite sides to avoid the charred projectiles. The creature rears up to its full height and steps toward them, the floor shudders as its massive foot slams on the floor. Its arms flex and its hands clench into fists.

Shego throws a dead body off of her and gets up. She stares at the thing in awe. Its fists begin to glow with a green aura that she suddenly remembers. It shoots a fist out at her and a large beam of green power shoots out. Her eyes widen in fear.

The full force of the blast hits her and sends her flying into a wall. The heat of the blast doesn't affect her but the force behind it does. She falls to the floor and lands on top of a pile of bodies. The creature takes another step toward her but stops as beams from the Gatling gun hit it from the side. It turns to face the guard. The guard hunkers down and unleashes the full force of his weapon as it comes toward him now at a dead run.

_Shit! This is gonna hurt!_ The creature barrels into him and swats him away with a massive backhand. The guard takes to the air from the impact and skips across the floor several times before stopping in a large pile of bodies. The creature roars in triumph as the guard lies motionless as charred corpses fall on top of him.

A beam of green plasma hits the creature from behind. It howls as it turns around to face this new foe. Shego stands on top of a pile of bodies an aura of green surrounds her entire body and her eyes glow with remembered power. "Ready for round two?"

The creature powers up and roars as it surrounds itself in the same green aura as she. It tears off at her at a run. Shego does the same, charging her fist with as much power as she can. The creature unleashes first, shooting a powerful beam of plasma that disintegrates anything it touches on its way to its intended target. She smiles as she lets the beam hit her. It recharges her, adds to her power. The beam only slows her momentum a little as she charges the creature. She cocks a fist behind her and leaps. She lands on the creature's heaving chest and lets her fist fly straight into its ugly mug! The sound of the impact is a thunderous _BOOM!_ It staggers back, falling to the floor. She jumps off as it crashes to the ground. Bodies fly every which way as the entire floor shakes.

She does not let up. She punches the thing's legs and knees as it struggles to stand. She keeps moving as it throws bodies at her, punching and kicking as she moves. She makes it around to its face and unleashes a stream of plasma into it. It howls in pain from the point-blank attack. She leaps back and charges her fists again.

"You may have my plasma," she taunts, "But I know how to use it!"

She changes tactics and commands the plasma to surround her. The creature staggers as it tries to stand. She pours everything she has as she runs at the creature and leaps for its chest. The creature fires back with both fists, but she welcomes the power back. Only too late does the creature realize what is happening. Shego stretches out a fist and screams as she add the creature's plasma attack to hers. Her fist strikes its chest but she continues forward, her plasma searing a hole in it. She enters the body of the thing and unleashes her full strength.

The guard comes to and stands up weakly. He sees Shego leap into the thing. Its body lunges and jerks as green light shoots out of its eyes and split maw. It rears its arms back and howls a death-cry as its body cracks and green light pours forth. In the blink of an eye the creature emanates a bright green light. The realization dawns on him that the creature is not going to stop and he scrambles for cover.

The death-cry howl reaches a fever pitch as the floor shakes violently. Then it explodes in a torrent of green flame and power. The blast wave spans out, incinerating everything it touches, followed by rolling waves of green flame. The flame dies down as does the green light. Then everything is silent.

He steps out from the wall of bodies that absorbed the brunt of her power and douses the single flame burning on his shoulder. He steps out and surveys the damage. Most of the dead bodies were incinerated from the blast and Shego lay unmoving in a black crater where the creature once stood. He runs over to her, holstering the Gatling gun so he can get there quicker.

"Shego! Shego! Are you all right?"

She coughs once and smiles weakly at him. She nods.

"Holy shit! I've never seen anything like that before!"

He helps her up gently. Well," she says after another cough, "I've never had to let go like that before. Wow!"

"How are you feeling?"

She charges a bit of plasma around her hand and it sputters to life. She frowns and extinguishes it.

"That's not good," she says.

"What's not good?"

"My powers," she says angrily, "Whatever they injected me with must still be inside me, it's draining my powers. It's like its eating them. _FUCK!_ "

"Maybe we can find something to help you in the main facility," he offers.

She shakes her head, "No. There's someone I need to find first. I sent her a message to come find me and stop me, but I had no idea _this_ would happen. I need to find her before it's too late."

"Okay. The fire rooms are down this way," he says pointing, "I'll let you take the lead after that Shego."

"All right then, let's go," she says with purpose. Her mind rages and rebels at her for putting herself and… _her_ …in this predicament. Apologizing to her own mind does little to assuage the fear that is slowly growing in the pit of her stomach. _Hang on Kimmie, I'm coming to find you!_


	5. Chapter 4

**A New Threat**

**Kim and Ash**

The zombie staggers forward and the shotgun expels its shell at point blank range. The torso of the zombie explodes and it falls. A boot on its head, crushing it, finishes the job. The shotgun spews out the spent shell and another is ready. He takes a precious moment to look behind him. Kim's arms are shaking, affecting her aim. _She's keeping up though_ , he thinks to himself. The endless waves of zombies press forward, groaning and moaning as they come. He presses the trigger and three zombies fly back.

"How're ya doin', Kim," he ask yelling behind him.

"Just _peachy_ ," is the sarcastic response as she unloads both guns into a zombie. It falls but crawls towards her. She finishes it off with a round from each gun into its face. More press from behind.

"Reload," he yells as he throws the shot gun at her. She throws her pistols at him in response.

He is the better shot and she uses the shotgun like a bat, knocking down two zombies then goes to reloading the weapon. The pistols each bark twice and four zombies fall to the ground. The pair advances down the stairs to the first floor of the mall. He fires in quick succession as the horrors drop around him. The .357 revolver of Kim's is out, and the M1911 follows suit after two more shots. He expels the spent clip from the M1911 and jams in a fresh one.

"Ready", Kim yells.

He tosses the .357 to her as she tosses him the shotgun. He catches it and smashes an oncoming zombie in the face with the butt of the gun and flips it over and fires at the next. Then he tosses the other pistol back to Kim. She already holstered the empty .357 and she catches the M1911 and fires right as a zombie pounces on her. Its face explodes and she shoves the carcass off of her as they walk back to back toward the exit.

"I just want you to know," she yells over the booming shotgun, "how much of a _great time_ I'm having!"

"You ain't the only one, sweetheart," he yells back as he fires into the line of zombies.

There is a break in the wave of zombies and Kim swings around next to Ash as they both unload into them, making the break big enough for them to run through. They both reload as they run. The gap closes in quickly but Ash reopens it with his Boomstick and Kim forgoes the use of her firearms and uses her fists and kicks to keep the monsters at bay.

"I need a staff or something," she yells as she roundhouse kicks a pair of zombies away.

"I'll keep a look out for another flagpole," he yells back.

They fight their way to the main lobby and Ash reloads while Kim covers for him. Zombies wander this way and that, forming groups and then form into gangs. They follow the smell of the living and the pair finds themselves surrounded as Ash finishes reloading.

"Who's this person yer lookin' for anyway," he asks conversationally as he takes aim and fires.

"Her name's Shego", she answers as she reloads the .357.

" _Shego?_ What kind of name is that?"

"I have no idea," she says as she squeezes the trigger, the recoil is making her arm sore.

"You think she's still alive," he asks as he takes careful aim and fires.

 _I hope so_ , she thinks but answers, "Yes."

They pour on the fire, breaking a hole through the horde. They waste no time as they rush on through. Ash slams the barrel of the shotgun into the gut of one zombie and then knocks it down with the butt of the gun. Kim lashes out with a spinning kick, toppling several more. She flips over the last group of zombies and dives through the broken glass window and rolls onto the street below. She rolls up onto her feet with guns out and fires. The zombies fall in front of her, allowing Ash to exit freely.

"I need to reload", she says, "Cover me."

"Gotcha," he answers as he steps over her with his Boomstick out.

It takes her longer to reload as she cannot stop her hands from shaking. The buzzing in her ears refuses to go away from the barking of their guns, _but at least we're still alive_ , she thinks as she fumbles with the .357.

"Take your time," he says without a hint of sarcasm, "I got ya covered."

The street looks like a warzone from a bad action flick. Cars are overturned on the parking lot and the side streets and some are on fire. Bodies litter the street and the sidewalk, but at least they are not rising up to eat them…yet! He scans the area beyond for a particular type of business and spies one at another street beyond the large parking lot.

"I think I found what you're lookin' for," he says.

She closes the chamber to the .357 and puts it back in her holster. "Huh? Where?"

He points with the barrel of the Boomstick, "There."

She follows the imaginary line of the barrel of the shotgun, past the parking lot and the next street over. A sign that is still powered reads 'Joe's Pawn and Army Surplus'.

"You might be able to find a better weapon there if we can make it across."

"I'm ready when you are," she says.

He checks the shotgun and nods as they head out to the parking lot. They pass many bodies and a few of them start to rise as they pass, but neither of them wastes any of their ammo as they can run faster than the zombies can follow. That option changes when a group of zombies stagger out from behind an overturned van in front of them. Ash pulls the trigger and the sound echoes as it fires. Kim pulls out the M1911 and fires; she scores a hit on a knee as a zombie falls to the asphalt. Another squeeze of the trigger and the back of its head explodes. Two zombies remain but Ash makes short work of them as he unleashes a volley of buckshot into them, shredding them to pieces. He reloads as they move on.

"So what's your sitch," she asks, panting for breath.

"Huh," he asks in non-comprehension.

"Your sitch. _Situation_."

"Oh, uh, same as yours, surrounded by zombies, getting' low on ammo, world goin' to hell an' all that."

"You sound…unusually calm about this sort of thing."

"Hold on," he says as he stops.

He puts the shotgun on his shoulder and presses the trigger. She never saw the zombie creep out from behind the overturned station wagon. It drops to the ground, headless. He brings the Boomstick back down and starts jogging again.

"You were sayin'", he asks conversationally.

"Never mind."

The overturned vehicles turn the parking lot into a maze. The stench of spilled gasoline and diesel fuel fills the air. Ash puts the shotgun away and Kim holsters her pistols. They look down and see that they are both standing in a flowing stream of petroleum.

"We'll have to be careful from here on in," he says.

She nods and they continue on through the maze of vehicles. They go around corners slowly and strain to hear for the telltale moaning and groaning sounds. It is not long before they can hear the dreaded noises coming from further inside the maze. Kim readies her fists and Ash does the same. They head around the next corner and Kim holds her mouth closed to keep from screaming at the sight. Three zombies are bent over a fallen body and are making a meal out of it. The sound of snapping bones makes the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight up. Ash is also repulsed at the sight. The strong scent of gasoline masks their presence for the moment. They quietly make their way back around the corner.

"Any ideas," he asks quietly.

"We're faster than they are; we could run right past them."

"Yeah and maybe run right into another horde of these things 'round the next bend."

"Guns are out," she states, "unless you're fireproof."

"I'm not, you?"

"Don't think so."

"Shit."

"Can you think of anything?"

"Honey, I've been runnin' on empty since before yesterday. I can't tell you when I last had a good, hot, home cooked meal, or when I was able to sleep for more than two hours straight. So, no, I don't."

"Sorry," she whispers apologetically.

"Forget it," he says waving off her apology, "I didn't mean to snap at ya. I'm ready to go when you are."

Her stomach grumbles at the thought of food as well. She did not eat anything on the trip over, figuring she would have time to stop somewhere and get a bite to eat after she got here. _So much for that,_ she thinks to herself. She nods at him indicating she is ready and they tear off at a dead run. They slide around the corner and run past the trio of zombies eating the carcass. The zombies pay no attention as they pass.

The next group does.

Five zombies reach out at them but by sheer luck they weave through them. The next bend has more but beyond is the street. Ash pulls out his Boomstick and fires as they run Kim slides across the slick ground and leaps at the last moment, vaulting over the last two zombies in her path. Ash clears the path ahead of him as she dives to the side, out of the reach of the buckshot. She spies the overturned gas truck that is the major source of the leaking fuel. Ash clears the exit as she draws the .357. His eyes goes wide as the realization dawns on him at what she is about to do.

She stands and runs after Ash, who is running for his life! They make it to the street and she turns around and stops as Ash continues to run. The .357 is gripped in both of her hands and she closes her left eye as she aims.

She fires.

The bullet fires out of the chamber on a straight trajectory. The bullet hits the large fuel tank right below the leak. It sparks which is enough to ignite the fuel. The maze of overturned cars becomes a sea of flame. She tries to get up but strong hands grip her shoulder and force her up and she is moving as Ash drags her to the other side of the street just as the fuel truck explodes! The heat hits them both as they leap down a stairway next to 'Joes Pawn and Army Surplus'. Then the cars start exploding!

The ground rumbles and shakes as the vehicles explode in quick succession. They have their hands covering their ears from the ear-shattering noise and as they look up they see pieces of flaming vehicles smash into the buildings above them, streaking through the night sky like meteors. They lose track of time as they wait for the explosions to cease. Eventually the explosions stop and Ash heads up the stairway first. His jaw drops at the sight. Kim follows and her jaw drops as well.

"Jesus, girl," he exclaims in a combination of horror and awe, "Nice shootin'!"

The parking lot is simply no more and the mall and most of the surrounding stores are in flames. They turn around and see an upside down van teetering over the roof of a business three stores down, and then it falls over the edge, bursting in flames. Ash covers her and they fall back into the stairway hard. Kim grunts in pain under his weight and from the concrete slamming into her back. The van's front wheel rolls down the stairway past them on fire.

"Sorry," he says apologetically as he helps her up, "You okay?"

Her back and shoulders are sore from the sudden impact, akin to taking a good kick from…

She sighs through clenched teeth, "I'll be fine, thank you."

His eyes dart in different directions and then he turns back to her, "Well, at least you took care of the zombie problem for a while."

His statement does not help her mood at all.

He leads her to the front of Joe's Pawn Shop and he rips off the weakened gate. The glass door is already shattered and they enter easily. Ash walks over to the counter and smashes the glass with his gloved hand. He rummages through the ammunition boxes and restocks.

"Get what you need, but be quick! It won't be long before they start crawlin' back here."

She nods and walks past the shelves, looking for… _hey!_ She smiles.

Ash takes several boxes of shotgun shells, shells this time not buckshot, and several boxes of ammo for their pistols. He also takes a wicked-looking tempered steel survival knife complete with sheath. A pair of flashlights and batteries gets stuffed into his bulging backpack. The remainder of his list is a handful of energy bars and two energy drinks. He hefts the backpack over his shoulder, grunting at the increased weight.

"Kim? You ready?"

"I am now," she replies as she steps out from one of the isles.

He sees her and raises an eyebrow in surprise. "What're you, some kinda samurai or somethin'? You know how to use one of those things?"

"Yes, but I've never got a chance to actually use one in combat before, only training. I grabbed a bunch of MREs too."

"Those will come in handy. I picked up more ammo and…"

The rest of the conversation is cut off by the hair-raising echo of zombies moaning close by. "Time's up," he exclaims as he leaps over the ruined counter and takes out the Boomstick.

They exit Joe's and almost run into a pair of zombies shambling in the street in front of the store. The zombies notice the pair and lunge at them. Ash and Kim dodge their clumsy attacks and run around them. Ash runs down the street, Kim follows quickly behind him.

"Where are we going," she asks between pants for breath.

"Anywhere but here," is the curt reply.

They run for a long time, past side streets and buildings, around cars and trucks, avoiding the ever growing throngs of zombies. The streets get wider as they run and the number of buildings diminishes. Ash stops in front of her, forcing her to stop. She looks behind her as an army of zombies slowly stalk toward them from far off.

"Why are we stopping," she asks, fear rising in her voice as she sees the relentless pursuit of the zombie army slowly coming toward them.

"Listen," he says as he looks up to the night sky, "Do you hear that?"

She strains to listen, filtering out the moaning and groaning of the zombies. Behind the zombie noises are a faint echo of popping noises followed by a deeper booming sound.

"Gunfire," Ash says, "Someone else's fightin' back!"

He runs off toward the sound, leaving the streets entirely. Kim follows close behind him. They climb up a steep hill and stop at the top. The hill flattens out for several hundred yards and then it slopes back down for fifty yards or so and then drops out of sight. Beyond that they can see a well-lit collection of buildings and towers surrounded by a stout stone wall and fence beyond.

"It looks like a prison," she says between huffs of breath.

"It is," he remarks pointing, "Look!"

She squints and she can make out intermittent flashes of light coming from the towers and along the walls. The popping and booming noises follow.

"They're fightin' back," he says excitedly as he starts down the flat part of the hill, "C'mon, we can make it if we hurry!"

"Are you sure this is a good idea," she asks as her legs scream at her to stop.

"They got better weapons that we do, plus they'll have vehicles. We can finally get the hell out of here!"

She doesn't protest to him about finding Shego, her lungs are already on fire. _Hey, it's a prison, she could already be there_ ¸ her mind tells her, trying to sound convincing. _You know the kind of trouble she gets into so it's only natural to assume…_

"Hey! You comin'?"

She shakes her head as he interrupts her internal monologue, "Yeah, right behind you."

They make their way across the flattened part of the hill and follow the slope down. The prison looms larger in the distance. The popping and booming noises change pitch as they approach. The hill stops and turns into a cliff as they approach. They are close enough now to see lines of guards outside the open gate of the prison. Several lines fire at the approaching zombie hordes while others usher survivors towards the gate. They slide down the cliff which is not as steep as she thought it was and they break into a dead run toward the prison.

The Boomstick is in Ash's hands and he fires at the zombies surrounding the guards. Kim draws the katana from the sheath as she closes in. She vaults over the outer throngs of zombies and lands in front of them in a crouching position, the gleaming blade angled across her defensively. The people behind her scream as she seems to appear out of nowhere! The zombies closest to her lunge at her. She closes her eyes, remembering her training, not that these unfortunate horrors were once people with families, children and loved ones.

Her arms move, the blade an extension of her arms and hands. In a dizzying display the blade flashes across the zombies. The blade cuts effortlessly through the horde. She keeps her back to the living, becoming a slicing and slashing wall between them and the zombies.

Ash fires again into the backs of the zombies, clearing a path to the gate. He makes it through and turns around firing as the zombies press in. The scene is utter chaos as zombies grab people not fast enough and overwhelm the first line of guards. Ash heads toward them to reinforce the second line, picking off zombies as he goes. The first line falls back suffering heavy casualties. Ash reaches the second line and the guard next to him nods in appreciation for the help and fires his assault rifle into the oncoming horde. Ash joins in as they cover the retreat of the survivors of the first line. He empties the Boomstick of ammo and shoves it back into the sling and draws his pistols and fires.

Kim keeps the pressure up but the zombies press on relentlessly. There is simply too many of them. She opens her eyes as she goes through a spinning routine, arcing the blade wide and cleaves through several zombies for her efforts. Still they press forward, moaning and groaning, not paying the least bit of attention to their severed limbs. She steps back spinning the blade around her defensively, fingers and hands fly out in all directions when they get too close to her. She retreats as all of the survivors behind her make it to the gate.

Ash picks off zombies as the lines of guards retreat. They make it to the gate and out of the corner of his vision he sees Kim retreating slowly as the gate starts to close.

"Kim! Hurry!"

His voice catches her attention and she turns around and sees the predicament she is in. She tears off toward the gate at a dead run as the heavy door closes in from the side. She leaps as the doors almost slam shut.

Ash screams in pain as he wedges himself between the doors and pushes against the door on the right with his gloved hand. The door groans in protest as it stops. Kim lands directly in front of him and scrambles inside as the zombies close in, but it is a tight fit. He strains and pushes against the door, pushing it back an inch but it is enough for her to squeeze through. He lets go as arms reach out for him. He backs away and the mess of hands are severed as the gate doors slam shut.

"Thank you," she pants as he helps her up.

"Welcome."

Several guards walk toward them, their guns down. They look at each other and one steps forward and offers his hand. "Thanks for the help," he says to both of them, "you both saved a lot of lives tonight."

"You're welcome," Kim and Ash answer in unison and take turns shaking his hand.

Other guards split off in groups and round up the survivors, taking care to separate the wounded from the healthy. "Why don't you come inside with us? You both look like hell and…"

He stops as the lights dim around the prison then go back to normal. Out beyond the confines of the prison the lights of Raccoon City go dark.

"Shit," another guard close to Kim curses, "the power's gone out."

"Don't worry," the guard says to them, "We're on our own power grid here and we have backup generators if they fail. Like I was saying earlier, come inside with us. We have running _hot_ water and clothing," he stops as he looks at Kim and then continues, "But I don't know if we have anything in your size, Miss…"

"Possible," she answers, "Kim Possible."

He does not react to the name, _that's good I guess. But I still need to find Shego! Maybe if I can talk to the Warden, he may know something._ She forces the frown from developing on her face and forces her face to remain neutral, but the frustration and anger rises within her at her inability to go on anything more concrete. _I hate this fumbling in the dark!_

"…Williams, pleasure's all yours, now about that shower and hot meal?"

"Right this way," he says gesturing for them to follow.

"Please and thank you," she says gratefully.

* * *

The 'prison' is actually Raccoon City Federal Correction Institution; a super-max security class prison for males built almost identical to the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility (ADX) in Florence, Colorado and is equipped to house the worst that humanity has to offer. At least that is what the plaque says on the wall leading to the entrance of the main building that Kim reads. She wanted to read more but Ash calls for her to keep up and she hurries up after them.

Kim catches up to Ash and the guard as they head down the main hall and walk through several sets of sliding doors and guard posts before finally entering a vast open area. The black and blue garb of the prison guards reminds her of the S.W.A.T. members and they are everywhere! Ash takes her hand and leads her on, following their prison guard guide. _This place must be huge_ , she thinks to herself as she surveys either side. The building is at least five stories tall with prison cells on each level and both sides of each level. Prison guards patrol each side in pairs with automatic rifles drawn.

Their guide leads them to an open elevator and he presses the button for 'sub-basement one'. The doors close and the elevator takes them down to their destination.

"No music, huh," Ash quips with a smile.

The guard shakes his head with a smile. "No, it was considered cruel and unusual punishment. This level houses our barracks, armory and cafeteria. We have plenty of space available but the showers are, um, open. Don't worry, Miss Possible, I'll spread the word so you won't be bothered when you're ready to shower."

"Thanks a lot," she says with a small smile.

The elevator stops and the doors open. Their guide steps out first and stops the nearest prison guard and tells him about Ash and Kim. He nods and runs off to spread the word. Their guide motions for them to follow. Prison guards run past them armed for bear. Amid the somewhat organized chaos she can make out snippets of conversations.

"…only have short-wave radio communication, the rest is…"

"Can you get hold of _your_ wife, sir? I can't reach mine on my cell phone."

"They're fucking everywhere, man! Everywhere!"

"What are we gonna use then, goddamn _smoke signals_?"

"…through the sewers? We need to make sure that…"

"…orders to keep the book locked. Under no circumstances are…"

"…about the inmates? We're not going to _arm_ them, are we?"

Their guide leads them to a guarded door and after a moment speaking to them the guards step aside and allow them to enter. The room is well lit and well furnished, it looks to both Kim and Ash like an extravagant break room and office all wrapped into one. Two prison guards stand on either side of an older white man, dressed in an immaculate dark uniform, his head is completely bald, and his right eye is cloudy while the other is a deep brown. A salt and pepper trimmed moustache completes the man's face. He stands over a large wooden table looking down at blueprints of the entire facility. Their guide steps up to the other prison guards and mumbles something out of Kim's and Ash's earshot. The older man turns to him and steps away from the table and motions for Kim and Ash to step forward. They do.

"Thank you for your help out there," he says in a deep, gravelly, tired voice, "You helped save a lot of people tonight. If there is anything I can do for you, please, just ask. I am the Warden here, name's John Masters but you can call me Warden or John, whichever you prefer."

Kim attempts to speak but Ash drowns her out. "Name's Ash, blah, _blah, **blah**_. We could use a nice hot meal and a shower. Oh, and a change of clothes would be terrific."

"Done," he says as he waves to the guard at his left.

The guard leaves the room.

John turns his gaze to Kim, and for some reason she can feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. "And you Miss…Possible…is it?"

"Y-yes sir," she says gulping down the lump in her throat.

"I have heard of your exploits against the likes of Dr. Drakken and Shego, well done, Miss Possible, well done! We need more heroes like you in the world."

"Uh, t-thank you sir," she stammers but quickly gathers her resolve. "There is one thing sir."

"Please."

"The reason why I'm here is because I'm looking for Shego. She was going to attempt to steal something from a facility owned by Umbrella Corporation."

"Umbrella," he asks.

She notices the darker change in his tone immediately. "Y-yes, sir. I came here to stop her, but then…"

"Hmmm, I see."

"By chance, she wouldn't be locked up in here, would she?"

His face remains impassive and he shakes his head. "No, she is definitely _not_ here! I'm sorry, Miss Possible, with everything going on outside these walls I fear your search may have come to an end."

She can feel her heart falling at his words but she keeps up a brave face. "Thank you sir, but I need to know one way or the other."

"Let us continue this discussion after you have cleaned up and get something to eat. Do not worry; this place is possibly the safest place to be right now."

 _Yeah, but for how long_ , she asks herself. Their guide leads her and Ash out of the room and down the hallway to the barracks. The barracks are set up in a typical military style with beds lining up and down the bay. The showers are open, but the entire barracks are empty. Their guide leaves the bay and closes the door behind him. They can see the back of his head in the window as he stands guard for them.

Ash turns to her. "Do you wanna go first?"

"Please and thank you."

"I'll wait outside."

He leaves. A prison guard uniform is neatly folded on top of the bed nearest to her and she takes it and unfolds it. _It looks like it might fit_ , she says to herself then she stares at the shower bay. It _calls_ to her!

The water is hot and the soap and shampoo do their job. She cleans herself thoroughly but quickly as her stomach growls. She tries on the uniform and it _almost_ fits, but that is what the belt is there for.

After getting the uniform to fit she heads outside and trades places with Ash. He does not take long either and when he returns with his gear their guide takes them to the cafeteria. The Warden and several prison guards sit at a long table enjoying a meal. He motions for Kim and Ash to their table.

"Sit and eat," he says, "we have a lot to discuss."

"Please and thank you," Kim says as she sits down.

Ash grunts and dives into his plate.

"Again let me thank you for your help. The inmate level is below half capacity for this installation which is fortunate for the survivors of Raccoon City. We are completely self-sustaining and maintain our own power grid separate from the main grid Raccoon City is on. We have enough supplies to last over two months at current capacity, we should be safe here."

"Yeah but for how long," Kim asks.

"As long as we keep the zombies at bay, we can hold out indefinitely. We do have one major problem, most forms of electronic communication are being jammed somehow, only short-wave walkie-talkies seem to work, even ham radios cannot get through the interference."

 _That explains that, but what's interfering with the signals_ , she asks herself.

"There is more. Apparently these zombies carry a highly contagious virus, if you get bit or scratched by one you will turn into one of them."

"We got that already," Ash comments with a mouthful of food.

"Does anyone know how all of this started," Kim asks.

The Warden frowns, "I have my suspicions, Umbrella Corporation owns or controls a major stake in nearly everything in and around Raccoon City. If they do not have a hand in this I will be impressed."

"They're like a major medical company or something," Ash asks.

"There is not much they do not have a hand in," the Warden replies, "Hell, most of the prison guards here are either prior military or have worked for Umbrella as security."

"Wow," Kim exclaims, "But they don't have anything to do with the prison, do they?"

The Warden is quiet as he looks at the guards on either side of him and sighs. "I guess it doesn't matter anymore, huh? To answer your question, Miss Possible, yes, at one time Umbrella _did_ have virtual control of this facility. In fact, their control ended shortly before I took over as Warden."

"What did they do?"

"Horrible, dastardly things, I will not go into details, but questions started to be asked at high levels when inmates began disappearing from a super-max prison. The unfortunates were found below the prison acting much like the zombies outside. See we had no idea that tunnels and another facility were built underneath us, they are not on any blueprints. After clearing out the area we did a thorough search. We found one tunnel led to an abandoned mine, a stash of experimental weapons, tons of research data on various projects, but sadly nothing that helps our predicament here, and we found a very strange book."

The right eyebrow on Ash's face raises considerably, "Book?"

"Yes, we have it locked up with the weapons. The book is…" he frowns as if he is searching for the right words. "Disturbing, I guess is the only way to put it."

"What does it look like," Ash asks all thoughts of food and rest gone.

Kim notices the immediate change in his demeanor. _He looks scared_ , she thinks to herself, _over a book? I don't get it._

The Warden's frown gets deeper. "It has the texture of leather when you touch it, but it is obviously very old but in surprisingly good shape despite the age. The cover is a ghastly depiction of a face and…"

Ash's eyes go wide but he is not listening to the rest of the description. _Those stupid, primitive screwheads! They were supposed to protect it!_

"Necronomicon," Ash whispers.

"Excuse me," the Warden says, "What did you say?"

"Necro. Nomicon. Ex. Mortis. Nobody's read it, have they?"

"What? Uh, no, not to my knowledge. We found a mention of the book in the piles of research data we collected. A team of spelunkers unearthed the book somewhere in Great Britain and was purchased from them by Umbrella years ago when the company was going through their relic phase."

"But it's here? I mean, _right_ _here_ , in this building?"

"Yes, but it is under lock and key."

"You need to destroy it," Ash screams as he stands up from the table.

"Hey Ash, is everything okay," Kim asks, concern rising in her voice.

"No! Everything's _not_ okay! _That's_ why I felt like I was drawn here, all because of that damn book!"

"Pardon me for asking, but how do you know of this book," the Warden asks, his tone still measured and conversational.

"It's a long story," Ash grunts, "A story we don't have time for! Trust me, if you think these zombies are bad, the book's worse. That thing has the power to conjure demons and turn the world into Hell, literally!"

"Come now, Mr. Williams, surely that is not the case. It is only a book."

"Yeah, just a goddamn book. It's the _words_ that have the power! If you recite the words the demons appear and the dead come back to feast on your souls!"

He shudders as he says the last and flexes his gloved hand. The Warden looks at the other guards and at Kim. Then he nods at Ash. "Very well, I stand convinced, Mr. Williams. Hell, I thought zombies were relegated to late night B movies and comic books, I never thought I would be fighting them for real. If zombies are real it is not a stretch of the imagination to believe in demons either. Please," he says gesturing for Ash to resume his seat, "both of you finish your meal and then we will take care of this book."

"Sounds good," Ash says as he sits back down and tackles what is left on his plate.

Kim stares at him as he eats. _I can't believe I haven't noticed how tired he looks. What has he_ been _through?_

They finish their meal and the Warden's guards escort them outside. The Warden joins them a moment later and barks orders for a team of more prison guards to join them, their guide volunteers to go too. Ash makes sure his gun is fully loaded and he slips it into the sheath across his back as Kim readies her guns and repositions the scabbard of her blade so that it is within easy reach. The prison guards ready their assault rifles and the Warden readies a pair of pearl-handled Colt Peacemakers. He turns to the group.

"Everyone ready?"

They nod.

"Let's go."

Ash and Kim fall in line to the rear of the group as they are led down the hall to a stairway and descend down many flights of stairs. Ash walks next to her and she cannot help but steal a glance in his direction from time to time.

"What's up, kid," he asks, strain and grim purpose in his voice.

She did not expect him to see her and she blushes in embarrassment. "Sorry, I guess I'm worried a little, that's all. You look tense."

"Honey, this book and I have a history," he says as his eyes stare off into the past, "The damn thing caused a lot of pain and misery for me."

He takes off the glove and shows her the handcrafted metal gauntlet/hand. "Took my hand and killed a bunch of my friends too before I stopped it."

"I-I had no idea," she says in awe.

"You weren't there, so you don't know. Hopefully, you'll never have to find out."

The fall into silence as they follow the Warden and the guards. They reach the bottom of the stairs and out into a lit hallway. The hallway is long and winding and eventually ends at a massive steel vaulted door. The Warden slides his badge into the slot and punches in the key code. There is an audible click and it takes two burly guards to turn the vault door. There is a hissing noise as the door slowly opens. Beyond is darkness.

Ash pulls out his Boomstick and several guards follow suit. Others turn on their flashlights. Kim keeps one hand near the hilt of her blade and the other next to the .357. Two guards enter with their weapons out. Another pair enters with their flashlights darting from side to side. The rest follow leaving Ash Kim and the Warden last. Kim follows Ash and the Warden into the vault.

The vault is temperature controlled and the air is cool. Stacked neatly on a series of long metal tables on the left are piles and piles of paper, CD cases and boxes overflowing with floppy disks. In the middle of the vault is another long metal table with pistols of a strange design neatly arrayed across it. Some look futuristic like laser guns while others are even harder to classify. There is a single metal desk on the right that houses a large tape recording machine with a tape feed attached to it. A single chair is in front of the recording machine with several pages of notes scribbled on them.

The team branches out going down the left and right sides of the center table. Ash and Kim follow the Warden on the left as he stops to inspect some of the stacks of paper. On the back end of the vault is a small metal table housing the book. As Ash, Kim and the Warden make their way around the vault to the book Kim notices that Ash's eyes have that faraway look to them.

"Hey, you okay Ash?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine, _OLD_ memories" he says as she shakes his head a little.

"This is it," the Warden says stopping in front of the book.

To Kim the book is grotesque and a sick feeling develops in her stomach as she stares at it. It looks leather-bound, but something tells her that the truth is far more horrible. "That's not cow leather is it," she finds herself asking and dreading the answer.

Ash shakes his head as he stares at it, "No. That's…"

"Stop! Don't tell me, I don't wanna know! Forget I asked!"

"Since you have dealt with this thing before do you know how to destroy it," the Warden asks as he turns to Ash.

He shakes his head again, "Not really. I had the help of an old Wiseman who knew all sorts of mystic mumbo-jumbo; he was the one who knew how to deal with this thing. But…he's no longer around. Been dead for a while."

"What if we burn it," Kim asks.

He shrugs, "It might work, I don't know. But it's worth a try."

The Warden and Kim step aside to allow Ash to view the book by himself. On the other side of the room a guard lets his curiosity get the better of him and he presses the 'Play' button on the recording machine. Miraculously it comes to life and the tape readers start to spin. Static pours out of the small speakers then a raspy male voice breaks the static.

"…what a find we have here. Not only were we able to procure the book but the notes on translations as well! The information contained within these passages should be of monumental help to Wesker and Birkin for the project. There is much to appreciate about this language once one knows how to read it. Here are a few passages…"

The recording continues and the words coming from the machine shake Ash back from his reverie. An almost imperceptible hum begins to issue forth from the book as his eyes go wide in sheer terror!

"Shut it off! Shut it _off!"_

The guard next to the recorder jump in surprise at Ash's forceful command and fumbles with the off switch. A precious second passes then he finally hits the 'Stop' button.

Ash knows. It's too late.

The humming noise increases in volume and changes to a groan. Ash steps away from the book as do Kim and the Warden. Kim's hand immediately grips the hilt of her blade.

"What is it?"

Ash does not answer as the book suddenly flips over on the table then flips again. Above the book a swirling mass of inky darkness tears through into the mortal realm.

"Look out!"

The mass shoots out over Ash's head, around Kim and then ducks underneath the legs of several guards as it heads towards the door at amazing speed. One guard bravely stands in front of the doorway and is bowled over and carried by the dark mass into the hallway beyond. His screams echo in the ears of the others as they try to cram through the doorway after him.

Ash grabs the book and stuffs it in his backpack. The first set of guards dislodge themselves from the doorway and begin an orderly exit of the vault.

"Sorry cupcake," Ash says to Kim, his voice weighted down with sadness, "things just got a lot uglier. If you use your gun, aim for the head. If you use your blade, cut that fucker clean off from its shoulders, ya got me?"

She gulps but nods under his steel glare. The Warden follows his troops and Kim follows him. Ash picks up the translation notes and stuffs them into his pocket before leaving the vault. He catches up to the rest standing over the crumpled unmoving form of the unfortunate guard stuck in the doorway.

Even from far below ground they can hear the echoes of screams and gunfire coming from above. Kim, Ash and the Warden all take a moment to look at each other then at the stairway leading up into hell unleashed. Ash steps in front of the guards.

"Follow my lead and we'll get out alive. Anything gets close to you shoot it, understand?'

They nod.

"Alright then! Let's kick some deadite ass!"

He yells a battle cry and hefts his Boomstick. Everyone except Kim joins in and Ash turns around and starts to run up the stairs and everyone else follows him…into _hell!_


	6. Chapter 5

**From the Frying Pan into the Fire**

**Shego**

"Are you sure this is the right way," the guard yells above the screeching barrage of fiery death into the advancing zombies.

"I _think_ so," Shego replies back, emptying the last of her clip into the horde. "I'm out, I need to reload."

"Got ya covered," he says as he lays down a line of suppressing fire.

She ejects the spent clip slamming in another. _Only got two left, better make these shots count!_ Her protector steps back as the fire from the Gatling gun cuts the last wave of zombies in two. The gun powers down and smoke rises from the barrels.

"It's overheating," he grunts as he swivels the gun to his back, it clicks as it attaches, "How many clips you got left?"

"Two."

"I got three. I'm goin' melee from here on out."

He draws out a long wickedly curved machete from a sheath on his belt. They had to be close; the number of zombies trickling in from the tunnels was increasing in frequency. Either that or they were getting close to the main facility. Shego stops at the end of the tunnel as it splits one way going left and the other to the right.

"I thought you said you memorized the way," the guard says in irritation.

"I did, but that was _before_ I lost my memory," she answers, returning the irritation.

Moaning sounds come from the left while dreadful clicking noises echoes from the right. "I vote left," the guard offers.

"Me too."

They head down the left tunnel. Shego puts away her gun but has her clawed gloves at the ready. The helmet light of the guard provides their only means of sight and they both see several zombies lurking toward them. The guard runs in and slashes his blade, severing the head off of one as another lunges at him latching onto his arm. It tries to bite through the armor but all that happens is that it loses its teeth. Shego jumps in at the last one waiting for it to attack. It lunges but she easily sidesteps the attack, slashing with her claws she scores enough across the back of its neck so that its head hits the ground before the rest of its body does. The guard slams his arm into the rock wall of the tunnel, crushing the last zombie. It slides to the ground leaving a dark stain of gore on the wall.

"We need to keep going," he says as he wipes the blood off of his blade on a fallen zombie. "I don't relish a fight with those other things."

"Me neither."

They continue down the tunnel until it stops. Shego could feel her heart drop into her stomach and the guard lets out a stream of curses in frustration. _Fucking dead end! We're never getting out of here!_

They turn around and head back keeping their ears open for the horrible clicking noises. They reach the intersection and stop. They listen.

Nothing. Not a goddamn thing!

"I know what I heard," the faceless guard whispers.

"I heard it too," she whispers back, "Does that helmet of yours work on other spectrums? Infrared? Ultraviolet? Motion?

"Yes, yes, and yes, in that order. But I'm gettin' nothin' across the board."

" _Shit_."

"I'll take the lead," he says, "Stay close, we'll take it slow."

They head down the tunnel slowly. The tunnel seems to stretch for miles down the same path, the guard moves his head from side to side making sure every area in front of him is lit. The only sounds they hear are their footsteps.

"So why do you want to find Kim Possible? I thought you and her were bitter enemies," he asks, breaking the silence.

"We are," she says simply, thankful that he is in front of her and cannot see her blush at the question.

"Okay, yeah. _That_ makes a ton of sense."

"Look, it's more complicated than that, all right," she hisses as her anger begins to rise.

"I was just thinkin' if I wanted my arch foe outta the way, this would be the perfect place to drop 'em off and forget about it."

"Would you stop?"

"What?"

"Just stop."

"All I'm sayin' is that it'd be so easy, ya know? I'd kick back, drink a few 'Buds, and go 'bout my business with no worries. What's wrong with that?"

"It's not right."

He snorts. "Since when does Shego care about right and wrong?"

"I don't when it pertains to me. This is different."

"How so?"

"Why are we talking about this?"

"Passin' the time."

"You're not gonna let this go, are you?"

"Nope."

She sighs heavily in anger and defeat. "Why the hell am I telling you this anyway? All right, you want to know why? Fine, here it is: she beat me."

"Well, duh."

"That's…not what I mean."

"Then what _do_ you mean? Did she _beat_ you, physically? _Abuse_ you? I never pictured her as the dominatrix type, but you can never tell in this day and age."

"No, it's _nothing_ like that, damnit! In our last fight she got the drop on me and beat me. I had the upper hand and had _beaten her_ , but she did something completely unexpected and that's how she was able to turn the tide in her favor."

"Hurts don't it?"

 _Not at all,_ she thinks back to the memory, but she answers, "A little."

"It's not like it's happened before, ya know?"

 _Not like that! Not like that at all!_ "What do you mean?"

"I mean according to the news anyway she's defeated you every time you and her tussle. So what if she tries a different tactic, the end is still the same, you lost."

"Way to boost the ol' ego there, shellhead."

"Hey, I got a lot of respect for you, Shego, don't get me wrong. I thought about Hench Co. after my stint in the military, but Umbrella offered a higher paycheck plus benefits. In retrospect, maybe I made a shitty choice. Anyway, it still leads back to my original question, why do you want to find her… no… _rescue_ …her? You're not stuck on some bullshit final confrontation are you? Like one of those 'It Ends Here' kind of thing, is it? You know that shit ends well."

"What the fuck do you know," she asks her anger rising to dangerous levels.

 _Struck a fuckin' nerve, now we're getting' somewhere!_ "'Cause you'll lose, that's why. You're getting' obsessed over this thing, girl. You gotta let it go."

She takes a deep breath to keep from activating her power and she forces her anger down. "Would it surprise you if I said I don't want to fight her," she asks in clenched teeth and fists.

"Yes, yes I would," he replies conversationally, "I would say: Bullshit!"

"Fuck you! You don't know me!"

 _Ouch, okay maybe I should back off a little._ "You're right, I don't. But I know your type, Shego. You hate to lose. It's that simple."

His words sting because they were true. _Damn you, you soulless, empty shell of a guard! You don't know anything! You're only in it for the paycheck, not the challenge!_ "Well," she hisses, "I _don't_ want to fight her! I want to _save_ her! It's my fault she's here in the first place, 'cause trust me, she's here somewhere fighting god-knows-what, and it's all because of me!"

"That's…not very… _villainy_ …of you," he states as he cocks his head questioningly.

"Tell me about it," she mutters.

A moment of silence passes before he speaks, "Bullshit!"

She sighs in exasperation and throws her hands up in the air in defeat. "Then what the fuck do you want me to say? I used to think like you said, have one last epic battle to end it once and for all, take no prisoners, winner take all and all that. But I don't anymore! Not now."

Minutes of silence pass before the guard speaks again, "So what changed?"

She rolls her eyes. _He doesn't let up! Why the fuck does he want to know this shit anyway? What business does he have prying into my life? Why the hell am I even telling him this?_ "Can we drop this?"

"We got plenty of time to kill, Shego. Who else do you tell your problems to? Do you unload your problems on that Drakken guy?"

"Hell no!"

"Then think of me as your friendly armor-plated therapist with a big fuckin' gun. C'mon, I'm havin' fun here."

Her anger spikes. _You're having fun? What the fuck?_

"So what changed," he presses again.

"Why do you want to know, anyway?"

"'Cause you're a badass villainess who doesn't take shit from nothin' and nobody. But all of a sudden you have this goody-goody streak in you when it comes to your enemy that wasn't there before. I find that interestin'."

"She's very good at what she does. She's a challenge for me, that's why I like our fights. But don't _ever_ let me hear you tell her I said that, you hear me?"

He raises his hand in surrender, "Hey, we got doctor-patient privilege here, this conversation is strictly confidential. So you like the fights 'cause she challenges you. Is that it? Everything's based on that?"

"Well…yeah, what else is there?"

"I dunno," he says shrugging, "Seems kinda weak if you ask me, and doesn't that get boring after a while?"

 _Not by a long shot, shellhead!_ "Not really," she answers after a moment of thought, "We fought in different places and environments and kept it fresh. It was never boring!"

"If you say so. So what, did you have an epiphany or something and then realize that she can't be beaten?"

"No, it's as simple as she's here because of my fuck-up and I want to fix it. See? Plain and simple."

"I didn't know you had a sense of honor."

"Imagine that."

"Kept a little something from your time in Team Go, huh? Hell, I'm impressed."

"I'm _sooo_ glad you approve."

"Like the use of sarcasm there, but I mean it. Most villains in your position would be laughin' all the way to the bank."

"I'm not like the others, asshole! I do my own thing, my contract with Drakken notwithstanding. He pays well but I have enough free time to do a freelance job here and there."

"Nice, but back to Kim…"

" _Enough_ ," she interrupts waving a clawed glove in front of his face, "We're through with this."

"Hmmm. It is obvious by the tone of your voice that you want to end this session. Very well, same time next week?"

"Shut up."

_Click-Click-Click-Click._

" _Shit_ ," they curse together as Shego draws her gun and the guard snaps the Gatling gun from his back.

The clicking noises continue for a moment and then stops. Shego and the guard find themselves in dead silence. He moves his helmet from side to side and behind him but there is nothing there.

The thumping of her heartbeat is in her ears as her eyes dart wildly around the tunnel. "They stopped," the guard says, but he keeps the Gatling gun out.

"I heard at least two of them," she whispers.

"My gun's temp is back down to a safe level so conserve your ammo. Stay close to my back."

They move slower down the tunnel and they both stop as the sound of a deep exhale echoes off of the walls. "I got 'em," he mutters, "Two of 'em, dead ahead."

"What are you waiting for," she hisses angrily.

"Cover your ears, this is gonna get loud!"

The gun hums as it activates and she covers her ears. The gun goes off, her teeth rattle in her mouth from such close proximity to the weapon. Lasers stream out of the barrels and careen down the tunnel, a second later the gun powers down and she takes her hands away from her ears. She steps out from behind the guard staring down the tunnel. Far down the tunnel she can make out the light of two small dwindling fires, no doubt the remains of those hideous creatures.

"All clear across the spectrum," the guard says as he looks around, "We should be okay for now."

They continue down the tunnel passing the charred remains. The tunnel swerves to the right and starts to gradually incline.

"Maybe we're getting' close," he offers.

She shrugs, "I hope so."

"Does any of this ring a bell?"

She shakes her head, "No, but we're going up so at least that's a positive."

The hairs on the back of her neck immediately stand on end! _Click. Click-Click._ _Click._ Silence.

"Behind us," she whispers as she aims.

"In front too."

"Fuck!"

Their weapons go off as one; the sound of Shego's gun is drowned out by the Gatling gun. A sea of lickers advance toward Shego; she knows she does not have enough ammo for all of them. _Shit, I hope I have enough!_

She steps forward and puts her gun away. The guard is busy unleashing death on the other side of her to know what she is doing. She inhales deeply, drawing the power into her clenched fists. She roars and thrusts out her hands as wave after wave of horrors leap at her. An aura of green light comes into being around her and blasts out of her hands as a wave of destructive force. The wave encompasses the entire span of the tunnel and travels down; disintegrating every horror it touches on its path of destruction.

Not one licker gets within tongue's reach of her.

The walls of the tunnel glow from the heat of her attack, but nothing else remains. The power leaves her and her knees buckle as a wave of weakness washes over her. She lands on her knees while her arms struggle to keep her up. She feels spent, diminished. Behind her the Gatling gun ceases. He turns around.

A strong metallic hand grips her shoulder and forces her onto protesting feet. "We have to keep movin' Shego!"

She tries to curse at him in protest, but her mouth refuses to work. She stares at him weakly, barely able to keep her head up. The guard finally sees the aftermath of her attack.

"Shit! You used your powers! Do you have anything left?"

"A little," she whispers weakly as her head refuses to stop spinning.

"Here," he says as he lifts her over his shoulder, "I gotcha. I guess I'll figure this out by myself."

Shego tries to say something indignant and angry but her mind refuses to form the words. Her world goes dark and her body goes limp. He carries her as he walks up the incline.

* * *

 _The night air is cool and pleasant. From the tree branch she can see through the open window to the sleeping girl in the bed. She leaps and catches the windowsill making no noise, Dr. Drakken's sound nullifier sees to that. She enters the bedroom and stands near the bed stand silently watching her nemesis sleep peacefully._ It would be so easy _, she thinks to herself. Then again, she has thought this before. She has_ been here _before._

 _The mass of red hair shifts slightly, but the breathing is deep and restful. She cannot see the girl's face as she is turned away from her._ Why do I keep doing this _, she asks herself as she stares. The memory expands to allow her to remember her thoughts at that time. Her mind teases her._

 _You could do it. Right now._ End _it. The world will be served to you on a silver platter and no one could stop you._

_This happens every time she does this; it has become a simple matter to ignore her brain when she is here. The red head shifts again, this time turning over. She does not move for fear of waking her sleeping beauty. She marvels at the blissful face of the girl, so content, so peaceful, so beautiful!_

_She does not remember the first time she stole into the girl's bedroom but it has become a guilty ritual/pleasure over the months. It started as a simple exercise in finding her nemesis's home and was that ever simple! The original plan was for her to steal in and deal with the problem, permanently._

_She hated it from the word go._

_The first time she snuck in she found that she just could not do it. The girl had a power over her that prevented her from doing the deed. Frustrated and confused she watched her sleep, just in case she woke up and then they could fight for real._

_She never does. The girl sleeps peacefully._

_Shego can only watch her. She does not stop until the first rays of the sun start to peek over the horizon and she leaves. She does it again the next night, steeling her resolve in order to finish the job. She freezes like before and the red head sleeps peacefully._

_It happens again the next week and the week after that with the same outcome. Her mind rails and screams at her but she cannot do it. Everyone needs a place to feel safe, a haven from the chaos and violence of life. The red head's bedroom was that haven and she could not do anything to her while she was there. She should have stopped it then, but she found herself coming back and stealing into her bedroom._

_Just to watch her sleep._

_They had not seen or fought each other for weeks but that was going to change very soon. She had something lined up that she was sure would draw her nemesis out after her. She was excited about the impending battle! She had stepped up her training regimen to a level that would ensure that the confrontation would be epic. But that was for later._

_Now she watches Kim sleep._

_She relishes every moment of it._

_She steps back to the window as a gray fog rolls in, covering and obscuring everything._

* * *

Shego's eyes flutter open, her head throbs from the inside but the rest of her feels very weak. Dimly she can make out a large shape in front of her, but it is out of focus. Blinding flashes of light assault her eyes and her ears explode in a continuous staccato thunder. The shape of the guard and his massive weapon slowly come into focus as she realizes that he is firing. Other noises now pierce the spaces in between the firing weapon, death cries and other horrible noises.

The rest of the world focuses. She is leaning against a rock wall of a tunnel; the guard's back faces her as he sways the weapon back and forth spewing fiery death to whatever is advancing on them. She tries to move her legs, but her muscles protest mightily. She forces them to work compromising by leaning against the wall. Her peripheral vision detects movement to her right and she forces her arms and hands to do her bidding.

The licker dives at her, claws and tongue out, bellowing a cry of battle. Shego drops to the ground and keeps her clawed gloves up. The licker flies over her as her claws leave deep gashes in its body as it soars past. Every muscle in her body screams at her as she stands.

"You're awake," the guard remarks as he mows down the next wave.

"How long have I been out?"

He swings the Gatling gun into the face of a licker, smashing it into the side of the wall. "About an hour, maybe less."

She pulls out her gun and aims. "How are we doing?"

"Getting' close to the surface, but so are the uglies. I'm tryin' to take care of that."

Her stomach retches and she doubles over. A wave of sickness overcomes her as her gun drops to the ground.

"Shego! Hold on, I'll be finished here in a minute!"

He steps forward sweeping his weapon from side to side and up and down. The barrels belch out a vast array of lasers and destructive energy. Licker after licker explode or burst into flame, but for every one that falls two more leap in to replace it. The guard angles the Gatling gun to the ceiling and unleashes everything he has right as the weapon warns him that it is overheating.

The blasts strike the ceiling and the destructive power is enough to collapse the tunnel behind the pair. Dust and molten rock fly everywhere as tons of rock fall on the horde of lickers. The rumbling fades as the guard admires his handiwork. He does not celebrate long as they can both hear growls and roars from the other side.

"That should hold 'em for a while."

He flips his smoking gun to his back as he walks over to her. She is still doubled over, clutching her sides in pain. He helps her up but she is unsteady so she leans into him for support then her stomach growls.

"When was the last time you ate something, or drank something?"

"I…I d-don't remember," she stammers weakly.

"Don't worry we'll find some food once we get topside, it shouldn't be much longer now," he says to her as he half-carries, half drags her.

"M-my gun," she protests.

"Don't worry about it, we'll get you another."

"Th-thanks."

"Damn girl, you talk too much. Do us both a favor by keepin' yer trap shut an' conserve your strength. I'm tired of listenin' to yer constant yakkin'."

A weak smile spreads across her lips. "Asshole," she manages.

"Present and ready for duty," he says to her, but she takes his advice and says nothing in return.

They move along the tunnel, passing the charred remains of the lickers the guard destroyed. The tunnel winds its way upward as the unworked rock slowly begins to turn into worked stone and concrete. The smell of sewage hits her like a ton of bricks prompting her stomach to empty itself again.

"It smells pretty nasty," he comments, "my helmet filters out the worst of it. Stick with me, girl, I'm tearin' open the first manhole cover I see."

Swarms of large rats hiss at the new intruders into their domain, their red eyes gleaming in the darkness. The guard draws his knife as they swarm around him and Shego. In the vastness of the sewer tunnels a blood-curdling roar echoes.

Everything stops and is silent. The swarms of rats turn as one, their glowing red eyes staring down a tunnel to their right. The echo of another roar sends them screeching and running in the opposite direction.

A chill runs up Shego's spine at the first echo. The second almost makes her heart stop. _It's getting louder!_ Any further internal monologue is rudely cut off as the guard grabs her around the waist, heaves her over his shoulder, and he runs for dear life! The bobbing and jerking on his shoulder make her feel infinitely worse; it takes all of her willpower just to stay conscious.

Dimly she is vaguely aware of a noise like a bellows, but the noise gets louder... _closer!_ The tunnel has widened considerably and she raises her head. The tunnel is shaking too much for her to see clearly but she makes out a massive shape lumbering after them. The source of the bellows is the monstrosity at their heels. Steam obscures most of the creature's features, but a single claw as wide as her head pierces the steam, followed by more. The claws latch on to the side of the tunnel, easily breaking through the rock and concrete. It propels itself forward.

Through the shaking and the haze a pair of massive, clawed hands comes into sharp focus for her as they reach out toward her.

She tries to scream a warning, but she is paralyzed with fear.

The guard twists to the side at the last second and in the same motion throws Shego down a side passage as the monstrosity tackles him. She lands hard, her head, back and shoulders explode in pain from the sudden impact. She fights to stay conscious but it is a battle she is quickly losing. She hears a roar of anger followed by a familiar grunt and then the sound of rock breaking.

 _Need to help him, need to help him,_ she thinks over and over as she tries to stand. Her first attempt fails as another roar assaults her ears. The next sound is the guard screaming in pain as she tries again, this time forcing herself up on one knee. A sickening sound like stone impacting stone followed by an unearthly cry of pain rattles her brain as she forces herself to stand.

"Yeah, motherfucker! How'd you like that," the guard bellows from around the corner.

She leans against the wall fighting the dizziness. She hears the abomination growl menacingly. _I gotta use what I have left! I hope it's enough!_

She forces the power out as her hands glow. She takes in a deep, shuddering breath and steps out.

The abomination is in a large pool of water and it sizzles and steams, obscuring everything but a massive arm with horrible claws and a blinking eye on its shoulder! The guard is in front of her his long knife out in one hand; the other is clutching his left side.

"Get _down_ ," she cries.

He does not hesitate and dives to the right as Shego unleashes the last vestiges of her power. She holds her arms out and lets the power go. Beams of green energy strike the center of the rising steam and a thundering roar of anger and pain tells her that her strike is true. For a moment the creature is outlined in a corona of green light and then the monstrous image fades as it falls over the precipice. Its howls fade into nothing.

The guard is up in an instant, still clutching his side and he runs to Shego. He catches her as she falls. "I got ya," he says in obvious pain.

"W-where did i-it go," she asks weakly.

"Over the ledge, deeper into the sewers. Christ, that thing was ugly!"

" _Sooo…tired…"_

"Hey! Stay with me Shego! We're there, see? The street is right above us!"

He shakes her enough to keep her awake and grunts in pain as he lifts her over his injured side and onto his shoulder. He reaches the ladder and climbs it, grunting again as he balls his hand into a fist and punches the manhole cover clear off. He rises looking from side to side.

The back alleyway is completely dark even the night sky provides no light as dark clouds obscure the moon and stars. He switches to thermal vision and others across the spectrum. The coast is clear…for now.

He heaves her up and follows. He clutches his side as it throbs in pain. His full-suit of prototype armor held as well as could be expected, but a single claw cut through it like butter. Blood pours from the wound. His hand applies pressure in an effort to stop the bleeding. Shego crawls weakly and tries to stand but fails. She feels exhausted, famished and utterly spent. The guard stands and helps her up, letting her lean into him for support.

"Let's go," he grunts as he leads her out of the alleyway.

He is not surprised that the power has gone out. Now on the street he switches to low-light vision and scans the area. "There's a drug store and grocery over there," he says pointing.

Shego moans as that is pretty much all she can do at this point to indicate that she is still awake. He carriers her across the street and sets her down against the wall of the store. The windows are already shattered so it is easy for him to enter. He scans the place.

"All clear," he grunts.

He leans her against a broken counter and heads out for supplies. He does not take long, carrying two bags, one full of water bottles the other bulging with snack food, power bars and the like.

"Sit down," he says.

She obeys, sliding to the floor. He opens a water bottle and hands it to her. "Here, drink this, but do it slowly. If you overdo it all of it will come back up."

She grasps the water bottle and does what he says. While she drinks he begins to take off his armor. The armor comes off in sections and he unbuckles the chest piece and lays it on the ground. He unrolls a bunch of bandages and douses them with antiseptic. The hiss from his helmet is audible as he places the bandages against his wound. He tapes the bandages to his sides and puts the chest piece back on.

"What do we do now," she asks hoarsely.

"First you get something in your stomach then we'll find your friend…er, sorry, I meant…"

She shakes her head, shrugging off the flub.

He opens an energy bar and hands it to her. "Aren't you going to eat anything?"

"Nah, I had a big lunch right before everything went to hell."

"That was hours ago," she protests but he waves her off.

"Yesterday," he corrected.

She _glares_ at him as she bites into the energy bar. Her stomach thanks her when she swallows the first bite. With each gulp she can feel some of her strength return, but it does not dispel the tiredness. "Do you know anything about the city," she asks.

"Not much, I had an apartment here for a while but the rent was crazy and I moved into the facility after a few months. I never spent much time wandering the streets, sorry."

She shrugs and finishes off the energy bar. He hands her another and she takes it gratefully. "Why are you helping me anyway?"

"An' what? Pass up the chance to team-up with the great Shego and play henchman? Are you crazy? I'd give my right arm for the chance!"

"That's not what I meant. I mean, I'm grateful and everything for you helping me but what I want to know is why are you wanting to help me look for Kim?"

"Aside from seein' ya fight? Hmmm, I think if we find her our odds of getting' outta here alive improve greatly, don't ya think?"

She sighs in frustration, "Look, I told you I don't want to fight her. This is a rescue operation, got it?"

"Got it," he replies but his voice betrays his disappointment.

"The power plant is offline obviously," she states after taking another bite, "the city is swarming with zombies and who knows what else! I don't have a fucking clue where to start looking."

"Well," the guard says as he stands up and walks to the shattered door, "There are a few installations that are off the grid. The super-max facility I know is one that runs under its own power; another is the sewer plant."

She grimaces, "No more sewers!"

"Another problem is the reclamation plant is owned by Umbrella and the supermax facility was once owned and operated by Umbrella. There may be a few other places that are running under backup generators but they won't last long."

"Which one do you suggest?"

"First thing you need to ask yourself is: are you ready to tackle such an excursion in your current condition? You haven't had any decent sleep in a while and you have no powers."

"It doesn't matter. The longer we wait the less chance she…"

She stops, unable to finish her sentence but it does not escape past the guard's notice. "Look," he says, "I didn't help to get you out of that hellhole just so you could get yourself killed because you're acting stupid. If she means that much to you and it's obvious that she does…hey! Don't give me that look! You're exhausted, I can see that much. Lay down somewhere out in the open here and take a nap. I'll stand watch. I'm a guard remember? It's what I do. I'll wake you when it's time to move on. We'll figure the rest out from there, deal?"

"Deal," she says but the tone of her voice tells him that she is not happy about it.

She clears a spot on the floor and lies down. The guard stands watch at the ruined door. She closes her eyes and sleep comes quickly. Thankfully the dreams leave her alone.

The guard passes the time filtering out the echoes of screams and worse from the city as he stands watch. Worry eats at his stomach as he switches over the various spectrums built-in to his visor. _Nothing. Where the fuck are they?_

He switches spectrums and looks up at the dark sky as his audio picks up the sound of a chopper incoming. Off in the distance he sees a chopper drop down from the clouds above a tall skyscraper. It releases two large crates and flies back up into the clouds and flies away. He trains his gaze back to the ground and switches spectrums, looking for movement, still nothing.

A large heat signature appears to his left, followed by an explosion and the ground shudders. He turns to the left and a smile spreads on his covered face. _There they are!_

He walks over to Shego and gently shakes her awake. "Shego wake up, beauty rest's over!"

"Huh, wha?"

"I found where most of the zombies are along with a large concentration of survivors; your girlfriend might be there."

"She's not my-"

He waves a gauntleted hand, cutting her off, "Sorry for the slip of the tongue, but we need to move! Here's some more water and a few fruit bars, you can eat 'em on the way."

He hands them to her and then picks her up. "How long have I been out?"

"'bout two hours, are you feelin' up to it?"

She stretches the tiredness from her bones with some success. "I feel better than before, if that's what you're asking."

"As long as you think it'll be good enough."

She nods.

"All right let's go. We're heading to the super-max facility, that's where the largest concentration of survivors are."

"Do you think she's really there?"

He shrugs, "I'm basing my guess on numbers, but those numbers are getting' smaller while we're yappin' so are ya ready?"

"Yes."

They leave the building and turn toward the largest source of light in the distance. A billowing cloud of smoke rises above a bright red orange light away from the city. He points toward it and says, "That's where we're going."

_I'm coming Kim! Hold on!_


	7. Chapter 6

**Reunion**

She screams in pain as a wicked deadite claw tears into her shoulder. She brings her blade up in front of her face just in time to block the next attack from the misshapen, winged demon. It hisses at her, spewing bile on her as it presses in. The strength of the monster is enormous and she steps back as it starts to overpower her. From the side she sees Ash aiming his Boomstick in her direction. She tumbles backward, disengaging from the demon as he fires. Most of the demon's torso explodes as he fires again. This time the demon's head disappears.

"Thank you," she says as she flips back to her feet.

"Anytime," he answers back as he aims at another.

The scene before her is complete chaos! Whatever escaped from the book reached the open areas of the prison, infecting most of the inmate, guard and refugees. The guards that were somehow spared from the… _possession_ …formed up in defensive groups in an attempt to rescue the refugees and even the inmates while other groups made a concerted effort to bring down the demons and other hellish creatures that were once their friends and co-workers.

They are not doing so well.

At the onset neither are Kim, the Warden, or the other guards.

Ash, on the other hand is a deadite killing machine! He wades into the demons, moving with the grace of a cat. His Boomstick is the great equalizer as demon after hellish demon falls. His gauntlet hand is also a deadly weapon against the deadites, easily crushing extended arms and more with its powerful grip. Kim and the Warden stare in amazement as Ash flips over one demon and blows away the face of one behind it then sweeping out with his leg he trip the other and blows it away before it can get up. He flips his Boomstick like a baton over his arm and presses the trigger as another demon foolishly charges at him. It falls.

Kim is shaken from her reverie as a slavering deadite leaps at her. She rolls to the side slashing out with her blade. It lands where she once stood then falls on its back as her blade cuts through its legs. She rolls back onto her feet as the creature crawls toward her, growling and hissing. A quick stab to its elongated, contorted head ends its movements permanently but she has no time to rest as more deadites converge on her.

The Warden and his group of prison guards hold their own as they make their way across the floor. Everyone is at each other's backs in a defensive circle as they move and absorb the next pair or trio of guards. Their numbers begin to swell and start to push back the demonic forces.

"Pour it on, people," the Warden growls, "give 'em hell!"

Kim leaps over the deadites and runs toward the Warden's group. The deadites are a different type of monster all together than the zombies she has already fought. For one they are quicker and stronger; they fight well as a group targeting the weakest first before moving on to the next. They are just as frightening to look like the zombies but for different reasons. No two deadites, or demons, or whatever they are look the same. Some look similar but each is horrific in a new and different way; some have wings, others have larger misshapen limbs or elongated faces and rending teeth. Some are skeletal in appearance while others are hulking brutes. One thing that they do have in common is that they are all ugly as hell!

While they are different in appearance they all share the same goal: death to the living. She tries to look away from the scenes of carnage as she runs toward the Warden's group. Some of the guards do not fare as well as the others do and the demons fall on the hapless screaming guards rending them limb from limb. Then the feasting begins. She will carry the sounds of their terrible screams and the image to her grave.

The Warden sees Kim coming and orders his group to open for her. They close around her their assault rifles chattering death to the oncoming demons. "Are you okay," the Warden asks, bellowing above the noise of the gun fire.

She shakes her head in the negative, her eyes plainly display the panic and fear that threatens to explode from inside her. The Warden aims his pistol and fires, splitting the head of a deadite in two. He looks at her with his one good eye and places a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Stay with us, Miss Possible, we will get out of here yet! Stay strong!"

She focuses on his words, forcing the image of death and carnage from her mind. His hand disappears from her shoulder as it goes back to holding his pistol and he fires again. The group moves across the floor trying to steer clear of fallen bodies both human and… _other_. The number of guards they absorb get smaller and smaller as they head toward the main area.

Ash makes his way toward the Warden and Kim, unloading on a deadite then quickly reloading. More deadites attack him than Kim and the rest, _probably 'cause they got long memories_ , he muses as he blows the head off of another. _Well, that one don't anymore!_ The deadites switch tactics and attack him as one, attempting to bowl him over. He jumps over the first wave and meets the second with fist and Boomstick. He does not remember the last time he reloaded the gun but it is still firing. Each pull of the trigger sends another demon back into the netherworld from where it came. He wades through the second wave, a gleam of fury and rage in his eyes that matches the horrors arrayed against him.

" _ASH!"_

She does not know if he heard her cry as wave after wave of deadites leap on him, pulling him to the ground. The gnashing of fangs and the tearing of clothing can be heard above the roar of the guns. She shoves a guard out of the way in a futile attempt to run over to Ash and save him. The Warden grabs her arm at the last moment and pulls her back.

"Kim, stop! There is nothing you can do for him, he's gone!"

"I have to try," she screams at him, tears welling up in her eyes.

He looks at her sadly, "I know, but you will be killed as well."

Tears stream down her face as her mind forces her to accept the reality of the situation. The group turns to the massed pile of deadites as a gargantuan roar wells up from underneath it. Deadites suddenly go flying out in all directions as the roar reaches its apex.

Kim tear-filled eyes widen in shock!

The roar finishes but it takes a while for the echo to die. Everyone and everything falls silent. A hulking figure wearing the tattered clothing of a prison guard stands amidst the surrounding deadites. _He-he's alive_ , her mind tells her as it attempts to process this revelation but is having trouble with the concept.

He looks like Ash, but bigger. His entire body is massively muscled, his shoulders stoop forward slightly from the increased muscle mass. He stands a full foot taller, easily as tall as the largest deadite. It is his facial appearance that causes her to recoil in horror. His eyes are empty orbs of milky white and his face is contorted into a vicious predatory snarl. His massive hands clench into fists as his chest heaves like a furnace. A low, animalistic growl issues from his mouth then turns into a roar…a challenge!

Several deadites return with a roar of their own as they close in while the others hold back. The deadites around Kim and the guards move away from them to watch the spectacle. Kim, the Warden, and the rest are also transfixed at the sight. Kim's mind finishes process the startling realization.

_Ash is a deadite!_

Three brave deadites converge on him leaping at him from different directions. He catches two of them as the other lands on his back. He howls in pain-filled anger as the one on his back tears into him with its claws. He crushes the two he is holding and lets them drop to the floor. The one on his back twists and writhes away from Ash's attempts to grab it but he eventually succeeds in grasping it and throws it off of him. Deadite Ash stomps down with a massive foot, crushing the monster's elongated skull. He issues another challenge at the others and then crouches down defensively.

The other deadites snarl and screech at him menacingly. They attack as one. Deadite Ash leaps to action, landing into the horde with fists flying. The smaller deadites are no match for his great strength but they have numbers on their side. Both Kim and the Warden realize this as he barks orders to the guards to train the weapons on the massed horde of deadites. The circle of guards spread out into a line and they fire. The bullets tear into the deadites with lethal precision as they fall. The Warden orders the line to advance as they keep up the pressure. Groups of deadites break away from the fight when they realize what is happening, running toward the guards with fangs and claws bared.

Kim draws her blade as she runs at the approaching demons, focusing on Ash and the monsters fighting him. She slashes out and an arm separates cleanly from a body. She ducks under a clumsy lunge and swings her blade out, slicing off legs. She moves quickly as bullets whistle past her too close for comfort. She blocks a clawed hand with her blade and twists the weapon as the creature falls forward. She brings the blade down hard, decapitating the monster. The Warden and the remaining guards pick off the other deadites so she has a clear shot at Ash.

Ash howls in pain as a deadite chomps down on his arm. He raises his arm, drawing back his other fist and unleashes it. Several fangs are imbedded in his arm but the rest of the deadite is no longer a problem. He kicks out with a massive foot connecting with the torso of a larger deadite, sending it hurling backwards. More deadites converge on Deadite Ash. He unclenches his left fist and vicious, curved talons elongate from his fingers. He growls a battle cry as he runs into the deadites, slashing out with his talons. A face of one deadite disappears completely from the slashing attack and another's face caves in from his massive gauntleted fist. He does not let up, biting, clawing and pummeling all of the deadites around him.

Kim somersaults over a massive deadite, landing directly behind it. She angles her blade up and thrusts backward, skewering the monster through its neck. She twists the blade to the side and grunts as she shoves the blade to her left, cutting through its neck. It falls, gurgling in its own fluids. Another deadite leaps at her from her right, but it is chopped up by a hail of gunfire while it is still in the air. More deadites turn around to face her as she nears Ash. She lashes out with her blade, striking from the left, then the right. She slashes upward, splitting a deadite in two. She leaps high into the air as two deadites go for her legs. She lands on one, slamming her blade down onto the back of the head of the other. She jumps off the prone deadite and pulls her blade but it is stuck in the floor. She rolls backward and assumes a crouching defensive position as the prone deadite stands up. She clenches her fists as it comes at her with terrific speed! She ducks under slashing claws and gives the monster a vicious uppercut for its efforts. Its head snaps back but falls back into place a split-second later. Its twisted face leers at her in a monstrous smile. She strikes out again, this time with a left-right combo that forces the deadite back a step. She kicks the creature's knee and it drops to one knee. She punches the thing in the face as hard as she can, sending it reeling to the floor. She takes to the air and thrusts her boot out, intent on crushing the deadites head when she lands. It rolls out of the way at the last second and its tail whips around the back of her legs, taking them out from under her. She lands hard on her back as all of the air is forcibly expelled from her lungs. The deadite screeches in triumph as it leaps at her. She closes her eyes, unwilling to visualize the fate it has in store for her.

She opens an eye when the attack never comes. The other opens immediately afterward.

The deadite hovers in the air before her, its legs a good two feet off of the floor. She looks up and sees it struggle and claw at the massive fist gripping it by the top of its head. She scurries backward and gets up as Deadite Ash crushes the screeching deadite skull. Blood and gore pour out of the shattered thing as Ash unceremoniously drops it. He stares down at her, his massive chest heaving.

The hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and her brain screams at her to run but sheer terror keeps her rooted to the spot, she closes her eyes in a futile attempt to disbelieve. He towers over her as his face turns into a vicious snarl. He grabs her in his powerful hands and raises her to his face. She can feel his hot breath on her face, an acrid stench of death and sulfur. A low growl escapes his lips. Against sanity, she opens her eyes meeting the gaze of his white orbs. She knows it is useless to struggle as her last thoughts turn to Shego. _I-I'm sorry, Shego. I'm sorry I couldn't find you in time. I'm sorry for everything!_

Tears fall from the sides of her eyes and one drops onto his snarling face, then another. His face twitches as he stares at her. Slowly the snarl disappears, replaced with…something else. His low growl turns into a howl of sorrow as his face matches the grief in his voice. Kim can feel the change in him as his body loses the extra mass. The howl changes pitch as he shrinks, culminating into an all-too-human wail of grief as Ash brings her to his chest and hugs her tightly.

"I'm sorry! I'm _so sorry_ ," he sobs.

"N-no big," she replies quietly as she returns the hug.

He lets her go, sniffling and trying to bring his emotions under control. All around them are the dead, twisted bodies of deadites. The Warden and the surviving guards run over to them.

"That was…impressive," the Warden states in disbelief, "I didn't know you could do that!"

"It's not somethin' I'm proud of, believe me," he answers as he stands.

Kim gets up and walks over to her blade and wrenches it free from the floor. She wipes the gore from the blade and sheathes it. "We need to do something about that book," the Warden says.

"Duh," Ash replies sarcastically.

To reinforce the point, echoing cries of pain and terror reverberate throughout the building.

The Warden, Kim, and Ash look at each other and say as one, "The refugees!"

The group runs to the source of the screaming. The main lobby is full of dead bodies, twisted in permanent forms of horror. A few deadites crouch over the bodies feasting on the remains. Two guards end their feast with rifle fire.

"We can't let 'em escape," Ash declares, "This city has more than enough problems to deal with!"

Wails and cries come from outside along with the intermittent chatter of automatic weapons fire. Growls and howling noise also issue from outside. Most of the guards reload their weapons as does Ash. Kim also takes out her M1911 and makes sure the clip is full. Two guards move to either side of the blood-splattered door. They turn to the Warden who has just finished reloading his revolver. He nods at them and they open the doors. Guards pour out with their weapons at the ready. Kim and Ash are the last to leave.

The scene is a bloodbath! The refugees are fodder for the deadites while most of the guards were either possessed or killed by the marauding deadites. One lookout tower is in flames as well as several cars. Kim can feel her heart sink at the sight of so much death. The moment of shock quickly wears off as the Warden growls, "Kill them!"

The guards fan out in pairs firing at the demons. Kim stays close to Ash as they head out to the right, down the stairs and into the courtyard. A pair of guards to the extreme left of Kim and Ash gets a little trigger happy as they unload on a trio of deadites feasting on a guard in front of a large propane tank. They make short work of the deadites.

The propane tank explodes in a massive ball of fire, the shockwave and heat consuming everything near it. Kim and Ash fall to the ground from the shockwave and explosion. The heat is unbearable! Both Kim and Ash stare in horror at the sight.

"No," Kim whispers in disbelief as she sees beyond the explosion.

The force of the explosion knocked out a sizable chuck of the outer wall. Through the licking flames she can see people coming _in_. _No, not people!_

"ASH! GET UP! MOVE!"

* * *

_ Meanwhile… _

Shego could see the explosion from her vantage point at the cliff. "Looks like they're havin' some trouble," the guard says to her as he steps over to the edge of the cliff.

"What do you see," she asks, her stomach tying into knots, dreading what could be the answer.

It takes an uncomfortably long moment to answer. "Heat from the fires is interferin' with my thermals but I can make out several distinct groups. It's a battle that's for sure!"

"We need to move!"

"I'll go first."

He jumps down the cliff, sliding down on his boots and butt; it is not a comfortable ride down! Shego follows as he nears the ground, sliding down the steep cliff easily on her boots.

"Show off," he mutters as he dusts off his backside.

"I need a gun," she says, ignoring his comment.

"Fresh out, I'm afraid. Stay behind me, I'm sure you'll be able to grab somethin' pretty soon."

He unhooks the Gatling gun from his back and it swivels to the front, right into his waiting hand. "Follow me," he says as he moves toward the front gate.

She does.

The sounds of gun fire and screaming increase in volume as they approach. Several zombies claw and tear futilely at the closed gate as they get there. One turns around, moaning as it shambles toward them. A quick squeeze of the trigger cuts the zombies down. The guard steps up to the gate and taps his armored fist against it.

"Hmmm…it's pretty thick. Stand back, Shego! I'm gonna knock!"

She moves away as the guard steps back and presses the trigger. The weapon hums to life as he sweeps from left to right as it belches forth destructive power. Then he moves the weapon up and down as it fires. He lets go of the trigger and the revolving barrels come to a halt. The gate doors smolder and smoke and then fall away in pieces.

"I'm goin' in! Remember, stay close!"

"Right behind you, Shellhead!"

"'Shellhead', I like it!"

The guard steps over the remains of the gate and enters hell. Shego follows at his heels.

The scene is complete chaos! Prison guards are formed up in small groups, firing at hordes of zombies and WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?

Demonic horrors straight out of biblical lore also attack the guards and the dwindling number of refugees alike. Some are even attacking the zombies!

"What the fuck's goin' on here," the guard asks to no one in particular.

A winged horror turns toward him baring its claws and fangs, bellowing a challenge as it leaps to the air. It does not get very far as the guard cuts it down as it dives at him. He sidesteps to the right as the flaming remains of the monster crash to the ground where he once stood.

"What the fuck is THAT?" Shego asks as she stares at the smoldering remains.

"Dunno, but it can be killed just like the rest," he replies as he angles his weapon at a group of fighting demons and zombies and presses the trigger.

* * *

Kim and Ash find themselves backed into a corner of the main building, a score of deadites converging on them.

She puts her gun away as it is out of ammo and there is no time to go through her backpack for more. She draws her blade as Ash takes careful aim and fires his Boomstick. The head of one deadite explodes, but that does not deter the rest from moving closer, fangs and claws bared.

"Change up!"

The deadites lunge at them as Kim flips her blade to Ash as he does the same to her with his Boomstick. He catches the blade as the first deadite meets him. The blade catches both clawed hands and he grunts against the strength of the monster. Kim uses the barrel of the Boomstick as a bat and connects with a vicious hit across the face of one deadite. She flips the gun over and presses the trigger into the torso of another. The recoil forces her back a step as she takes aim at another. Ash twists the blade and moves to the wall of the building. The deadite loses its balance and falls forward. The blade cleaves its head off before the body hits the ground.

Kim fires again but misses, her aim is too high. A deadite reaches her and she angles the Boomstick and shoves forward, jarring the barrel of the gun in the creature's maw. She strains against its strength and kicks the deadites knee with her boot. The attack has enough force for it to lose its balance and it falls forward. She wrenches the gun from the monster's maw and shoves the end of the barrel into its slavering mouth. She presses the trigger. The deadites head explodes.

"Back at ya," Ash yells as he throws her the blade.

She tosses the Boomstick back at him and catches her blade. In one fluid motion she brings the blade back around and slashes out several times. Two more deadites fall in pieces. The last one falls as Ash puts round after round into it.

"Let's go help the others," Kim says as she wipes the blood from her blade.

"I'm all for getting' outta here," he complains, but he follows her back to the front courtyard.

Shego pries an assault rifle from the hands of a dead prison guard as a trio of zombies attempt to fall on her. She rolls backwards and fires from a kneeling position, emptying the entire clip into them. She throws the rifle to the ground and rummages through the dead guard until she finds a pistol and two spare clips. A demon straight out of hell looms over her. She brings the pistol up to its face and fires. She fires again and again as the monster staggers back. She fires again this time hitting it right between the eyes. It falls on its back, moving no more.

The Warden gathers what is left of the surviving prison guards and forms a defensive circle. Eight guards are left. A horde of zombies surround them, closing in slowly. "This is it," he mutters, "This is our last stand. Send 'em all back to hell, boys!"

He fires his pistol as the zombies close in. The guards fire after he does, cutting down zombie after zombie, but they all know that there are too many of them and nowhere near enough ammo. The numbers of zombies swell as they overwhelm the guards, grasping, groping and biting. The Warden fires again and again as their hands grasp at him. He saves his last bullet for himself as open mouths bear down on him.

* * *

Kim and Ash turn around the corner as a single pistol shot rings out. She looks toward where the Warden was but her heart sinks as zombie after zombie pile on the last of the heroic prison guards.

She averts her eyes to a new scene. There are only a few deadites left but hordes of zombies. The deadites appear unconcerned at who is living or dead as they attack the zombies, using claws and fangs to rend them limb from limb. The zombies fight back but the deadites are much stronger and quicker. For every deadite that falls over twenty zombies cease to move.

But it all comes down to numbers in the end. The deadites do not retreat or stand down. She forces herself to look away…right into the eyes of a zombie standing right next to her!

It grabs her by her hair and throat. It tugs her hair back as it opens its mouth. She is caught off-guard. It pulls her toward it and…

…a single gunshot rings out followed by the boom of the Boomstick. The grip of the zombie lessens and she shoves it away. To her right Ash lowers his Boomstick. There! In front of her! She cannot believe what she sees!

Shego's hands tremble as she lowers the pistol. Her knees feel weak and threaten to buckle from under her.

"K-Kimmie?"

The guard appears at her back and steadies her as she drops the pistol. Her body begins to tremble.

Kim blinks in disbelief, but Shego does not fade. She tries to say something but the words get caught in her throat. Her heart thumps madly in her chest but her legs go weak as she drops her blade. Ash runs over to her and steadies her like the guard does Shego. He looks at her and then over to Shego and the guard. She takes a weak step toward them, then another. Ash helps her walk as the guard does for Shego.

_She's here; it's her_ , Shego's mind revels in triumph.

_Found you, I finally found you_ , Kim's mind yells over and over again.

They meet.

Shego places her gloved hands gently on Kim's cheeks. Kim can barely make out what Shego looks like through her tears and she blinks them away. Kim brings her hands up to Shego's wrists and squeezes them not caring how hard she is blushing.

* * *

The guard walks a few steps beyond the girls and assumes a defensive position. Ash does the same to give them some semblance of privacy. He steps up next to the guard.

The guard scans back and forth but the zombies are still in the thick of the fight with the remaining deadites. "So that's Shego," Ash asks.

"Yep, an' you're with Kim Possible?"

"Uh-huh, name's Ash."

"James."

"Nice to meet ya."

"Same here. Been lookin' for Kim for a while."

"That's all Kim's been harping about since I met her. I think she came here for her."

He nods, "She did, at least that's what I hear."

"Well, they found each other."

"Yep."

* * *

"I…I can't believe it's you," Kim says, exultant, "I…I thought-"

She finds it impossible to continue without crying. Shego opens her mouth to speak but suffers from the same difficulty. Shego's breath catches in her throat as Kim buries herself in her chest and hugs her very tightly. Then Kim realizes what she is doing and releases her just as quickly, her face burning red!

Shego summons the will to speak. "K-Kim, I-"

"Hate to cut this reunion short, but we got company," James declares, cutting her off.

Shadows appear in the wall of smoke before them and quickly grow in number. The moans follow. Hands and arms reach out from the wall of smoke.

"What's the plan, my man?"

"I kill it."

Ash nods at the simplicity, "Good plan, I like it!"

The Gatling gun begins to hum and Ash cocks his Boomstick as the zombies stagger out of the smoke. Ash starts to fire from the left as James fires on the right; they meet in the middle.

"Why don't you use your plasma against them?"

"Kim, Umbrella took my powers away from me."

"WHAT?"

She shakes her head in the affirmative and only now does Kim notice the _human_ pigment of her skin. "It's a long story. If we get out of here I'll tell you all about it."

Kim takes a moment to process this new revelation then she frowns in steely resolve.

"Here, take this," Kim says as she hands Shego the M1911 and the backpack, "The gun's out so you'll have to reload it, the clips are in the backpack."

"I didn't know you knew how to use this," Shego says truly impressed. She takes out a clip and puts the backpack on.

"Ash showed me. There's a revolver in there too and you'll need these," she says as she takes off the drop holsters and hands them to her.

James and Ash back away as more shadows appear in the wall of smoke. "We could be at this for a while," Ash yells to Kim and Shego.

"We need to fall back," James says as he takes another step back.

"Hold them off for a moment," Kim yells back, "Shego's getting ready!"

"Roger that," James says as he squeezes the trigger.

The shadows disappear from the smoke…for the moment. Shego finishes putting on the drop holsters and makes sure her guns are loaded. Kim turns back to Ash and James. "We're ready! Let's go!"

"'Go'? Go where," Ash asks as he fires into the wall of smoke.

"Anywhere but here sounds good," James remarks adding his fire to Ash's.

Shego and Kim begin looking around and they both spy a Ford F-150 that somehow escaped the explosion. Kim and Shego turn to each other.

"Can you get that working," Kim asks.

Shego gives her a wicked smile, "Look who you're talking to! It's child's play!"

They run to the truck, Kim yells for Ash and the guard to follow. Shego cuts the window open with her gloves and unlocks the door. She starts pulling things apart under the steering column.

Ash reloads as James swings his weapon back and forth, cutting down dozens of zombies at a time. Ash finishes reloading and fires as James pulls his weapon up to cool it off. He makes it to the truck and lets the tailgate down. It takes him a moment to get on it and Ash helps him up. James turns to the back window and knocks. Kim slides it open.

"Anytime now would be great!"

"Trying," Shego says in irritation as she fiddles with the wires.

"Would it help if I got back out and pushed?"

"Fuck off!"

Wires spark and the engine rumbles to life. Ash fires at the nearest zombie, it falls but another moves in to replace it. The nearest zombies suddenly are bathed in red light from the taillights. He jumps onto the tailgate and closes it as the truck lurches backwards. James falls onto his back from the sudden movement. Ash tumbles over James and hits the back window, his head falling through into the front.

"Hold on," Shego yells.

She cuts hard to the right as Kim puts on her seatbelt. Shego slams on the brake, puts it in 'drive' and floors the accelerator. She barrels through the zombies as they fall underneath, the truck bouncing up and down as it runs over them. She cuts hard to the right aiming for the open space that used to be the front gate. The back tires swerve right to left as she struggles to maintain control. The truck lurches forward as a zombie lunges at Shego from the window. Kim reacts, grabs the M1911, shoves it into the open mouth of the zombie as it grabs Shego by the hair.

She screams, "Get down!"

Shego complies as Kim presses the trigger. The zombie falls away from the truck.

Shego is up in an instant, both hands back on the wheel. A moment passes as she straightens the truck back onto the road.

"Thank you," she mutters as her heart slows back down to a normal level.

"You're welcome," Kim says as she put the pistol back in its holster.

Ash and James lean in to the open center window.

"What's the plan?"

"Where are we going?"

"One at a time," Shego says in irritation.

Ash lets James go first. "Ahem, so what's the plan?"

"Does 'get the hell away from anything and everything zombie' sound good enough?"

"Works for me. Your turn."

"Where are we going? 'Cause I can see this road leads back into the city."

"Good catch. Yeah, we're heading back into the city."

"What happened to 'get the hell away from anything and everything zombie'?"

"Sorry, Shellhead. I must've forgotten to mention about getting my powers back, huh?"

"Yep, sure did."

"Well, now you know."

"An' knowin's half the battle."

Shego snorts with a hint of mirth.

"Wait," Ash speaks up, "You're not serious, are you? I mean, going _back_ there?"

"Deadly," is the reply.

"Are you sure, Shego," Kim asks.

"Yeah, princess. See, I _like_ who I am, err, _was_. But I don't like the idea of some corporation having the ability to take away a part of me and use it for their own ends. It's…"

"Evil," Kim offers.

Shego gives her an _evil_ look, but smirks at the irony. "You were _waiting_ for that one, weren't you?

"...I can't confirm or deny that statement."

"That's a real fuckin' riot. Seriously though, the corporation behind these zombies is the same one that took my powers."

"Umbrella?"

"Yeah, what do you know of them?"

"Just what you sent me; I have everything in my backpack. The Warden at the prison told me of some shady dealings they were involved with at the prison before he arrived there. It seems that the prison was run by Umbrella before he showed up."

"Figures. The whole city owes its life to Umbrella! They were the major developer and backer of the city and here it's just a giant fucking lab!"

"That's not the only thing they're dabbling in," Ash says from the window, "Name's Ash by the way."

"Shego."

"The only way to get to the Hive is by Trans," James says as he pushes Ash away from the window, "That means goin' back down."

"I don't care. They need to be stopped one way or another, you hear me?"

"I'm feelin' a mite conflicted," he says, "They _do_ kinda pay my bills, ya know?"

" _They_ tried to kill you!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot," he says absent-mindedly scratching the back of his helmet, "But look at the cool toys I get to play with!"

Shego rolls her eyes and sighs in frustration. "Not only did they try to _kill_ you, their toys just tried to _eat_ you, remember? Like, less than _five minutes ago!"_

"Oh, um, hmmm…"

"Jeez-us," she says under her breath, shaking her head.

"Can I have a say in this," Ash asks shoving James away from the window.

"Sure," Shego says sarcastically, "Say whatever you want!"

"Right. Look, we got more than just a zombie infestation to deal with. Those things with the wings and slavering jaws? Demons. From Hell. Literally!"

"Demons," she snorts, "From Hell. Sure, why not?"

"He's telling the truth," Kim says, "They're a hell of lot smarter and faster than those zombies!"

"There's more than just zombies," James chimes in from the side of the window, "Tell 'em Shego."

"Monsters, pure and simple," she states, "Like they were ripped out of a madman's worst nightmares!"

Kim shudders involuntarily. "How did you escape?"

She looks at James through the rearview mirror. "I had plenty of help."

"At yer lady's service," James pipes in.

"Okay, let's say for the sake of argument that we somehow find our way into this underground installation. Who knows what other horrors are lurking down there?"

James turns to Ash. "Well I'd imagine there'd be an army of zombies and worse, but that's not the best part. See, there's this… _thing_ …lurkin' in the sewers just below the city that packs a hell of a wallop! We'll probably have to get past that thing first, but hey, no pressure, right?"

"Right," Ash replies gloomily.

"And there's the traps and security systems to deal with once we get inside, not to mention the zombies and the other… _things_. See I was attached to a separate facility from the Hive; that's where Shego was. We lost contact with the Hive, the power went out, and the world turned to shit."

"My god," Kim whispers as she stares at Shego, her mind not able to imagine the hell she has been through. "Shego," she says, her voice full of emotion, she places a hand on her arm, "I-I'm so sorry!"

"No time for that," she says staring straight ahead, a hard edge to her voice, "Just…help me get my powers back."

"Of course I will!"

"Thanks," she says, her voice keeping the hard edge.

"I hate to bring this up again but say we _do_ get in and we get past the zombies, the traps and whatever the hell else there is. What then? How are you gonna get your powers back?"

"I remember the machine that took away my powers. I am willing to bet that everything that went on there was being monitored at their main facility. I'm hoping to find a cure there, or at least enough data to make one."

"That'll be kinda impossible if there's no power," James says.

"Let me worry about that," she snaps.

"Whatever you say, boss!"

"That's better!"

"I don't believe this," Ash says in defeated resignation, shaking his head back and forth.

"Shego," Kim says quietly.

"What," she asks her voice still snappy.

Kim winces but continues, "I've never seen you like this before! Are you sure you're all right?"

"No. No I'm not," she states flatly, "I'll be better once I have my powers back and this place is thousands of miles behind me."

"Shego, I'm-"

"Stop Kimmie. I don't need your sympathy right now; all I need is your help!"

"O-okay. You got it."

"Good."

The truck speeds down the road as the dark shell that is Raccoon City looms larger in the distance.

* * *

_Back at Raccoon City Federal Correction Institution_

The formless mass of darkness hovers out of its hiding place. A stray zombie stumbles and shuffles past, paying the darkness no heed. It cannot possess that which is already dead even though it _feels_ a familiarity emanating from the walking dead that causes its rage to ever higher heights. It is drawn to the living to corrupt and destroy and the surrounding immediate area has nothing for it. It moves closer to the dark vastness of the city but then it stops. It is free. It has… _options!_ The mass changes direction and moves with great speed across the vast plain. It knows the Chosen One will follow it eventually as they always do. But this time it will be different. Even though the Chosen One has the book and the means to banish it again the dark mass begins to formulate…a _plan_. Yes! It will be ready for the Chosen One! The next battle will be on its own terms, finally after hundreds of years the cycle will end and the deadites will rise victorious and devour everything! The mortal mind thinks it knows what the meaning of hell is; the dark mass will show humanity the _real_ meaning of Hell!


	8. Chapter 7

**Sanctuary**

The truck runs out of gas just after they enter the city. It is just as well because the streets become clogged with empty vehicles from bumper to bumper. Shego and Kim exit the front in silence while Ash lowers the tailgate so he and James can jump down. Shego heads to the back while Kim stares at the city before her. Screams and howls pierce the night sky intermittently, painfully letting her ears know that the struggle for survival still continues.

"What do you see, Shellhead," Shego asks as he stretches his arms and legs.

"I can make out heat sources here and there in the barricaded buildings but steer clear of the ones that have been forced open. Trust me; you don't want to go there."

"I still think this is a bad idea," Ash remarks.

"We need to find an entrance to the Hive and get this over with."

"I have the maps you sent me," Kim says from the front of the truck, opening her backpack, and pulling out the binder, "There are maps of the sewers here."

She runs over and hands the binder to Shego. James stands behind her and turns on his helm light so she can see. She flips through the pages until she get to the map printouts. "I remember now," she says with an apologetic smirk to James, "See here? We should've taken _this_ fork. That would've led us to the surface."

"Hindsight," he says shrugging.

"Does any of it help," Kim asks.

"Probably not," James says, "These directions lead to the smaller facility, not the main Hive."

"Can we get to the Hive from the other facility," Kim asks.

He shakes his head, "Doubtful. With the power out there is no way to operate the Trans."

"So we get the power back up and running."

"Again, no good. The Hive operates off of Raccoon City's power grid. The power plant is located within the Hive."

"There's got to be another way in," Shego says, slamming her fist against the side of the F-150 in frustration, "A back door, something!"

"Look Shego," Kim says, attempting to placate her rising anger, "I'm sure there's another way in. We just have to find it."

"How do you propose we do that?"

"I…don't know, but we'll find a way!"

"The main server's offline, maybe one of the backups are still runnin'. Gimme a minute."

He turns around a taps a button on his helmet. Faint beeping noises can be heard coming from within it.

"So, there's _no_ chance I can talk either of you out of this," Ash asks.

"Not me," Shego says resolutely.

"Shego needs my help Ash. I can't say no."

"Well I can't let you two girls go to your deaths alone, so I _guess_ I'll be tagging along."

"I don't-"

Kim places a finger on her lips to stop her. "Thanks Ash, we appreciate your help."

Shego slumps her shoulders in defeat. "What can you do," she asks him.

"We'll I'm good with a gun and I have plenty of experience fighting demons, skeletons…"

"Zombies?"

"Yeah, those too. I also turn into a demon under certain conditions."

Shego turns around and gives him a new appraising look, "Really?"

He nods.

"Now that's handy! Why didn't you say so in the first place?"

"It's more of a curse," he says, flexing his gauntleted hand, "For your own safety steer clear of me when that happens! Trust me; you'll know when it happens!"

"I think I'm in," James says.

"What've you got," Shego asks.

"I'm linked in to a remote server at Outpost B in Sector 9."

"And that means…"

"I'm synching up now. Logging in…recognizing password…okay, I'm in."

"What can you get into?"

"Damn, the main server's offline," he says as his head twitches, "Lemme see what else is still runnin'."

A lone moan echoes throughout the streets. The Boomstick is out, ready for action. Kim places a hand on the hilt of her blade as Shego draws the M1911. Their eyes dart back and forth, looking for the source of the moan.

"Can you speed things up a little? Sounds like we're gonna have company soon!"

"It's not like I'm surfin' at blazin' speeds here," he says irritably, "It's more like dial-up!"

Another moan echoes, this time from a different direction. The trio turns towards it but see nothing. Another moan, and then another, each coming from someplace else. The sounds of creaking hinges and the splitting of wood assault their ears. Kim draws her blade as Shego point her pistol at one the buildings. Ash covers another.

"We're running out of time, Shellhead!"

"Downloading schematics for the Hive now, hold 'em off for a minute!"

"We're not covered in armor nor do we have a big fucking gun," she snaps.

"I'm goin' as fast as I can, can't help that!"

The Boomstick echoes as Ash presses the trigger. A zombie falls out of an open window from a building nearby. Another follows it out of the window but Shego splits its skull in half with a round from the M1911. Across the street the boarded up front doors of an apartment complex bust outward as a swarm of zombies pour forth.

Ash and Shego fire off multiple shots, picking off one zombie at a time to conserve ammo. Only one makes it to the street and Kim finishes it off, decapitating it with her blade.

" _Huh_ ," James exclaims in disbelief.

"What is it now," Shego asks in frustration.

"I'm gettin' an option to turn the main power back on in the Hive. I don't have the clearance for that so why the hell am I gettin' this?"

"What do you mean," Shego asks as she slams in a fresh clip.

"I _mean_ the main server's suddenly back online," he answers ominously, "I can turn the power back on."

"Do it!"

"Are you sure? I mean, it sounds kinda fishy, don't ya think?"

"I don't care," she yells as she fires at another zombie, "Do it!"

"Right."

Ash fires round after round into the doorway of the apartment building, dropping zombie after zombie. "We can't keep this up forever, ya know," he says as he reloads.

"Holy shit! The Hive's back online, I did it! Accessing main server. Hold 'em off for a few more minutes!"

Kim turns as another door breaks from its hinges and more zombies stagger out, moaning and groaning. "Other side of the street," she yells, pointing to the other building.

Shego turns and fires at the first zombie, it staggers from the hit and she fires again, this time it falls and moves no more. "I got this," Kim says as she flips her blade in her hand, moving toward them with deadly purpose.

"Be careful," Shego mutters under her breath as she turns back around, firing at the other zombies.

Kim moves in, her blade angled downward. She runs headlong into the group of zombies. The blade slashes upward diagonally, slicing through one zombie. The blade comes down and another is severed from the neck. She spins, extending the blade as she does so, slicing and cutting through their flesh as easily as a hot knife through butter. Severed hands and legs fly out from the spinning blade as Kim widens her area of attack. She knows what fate will befall her if she lets them get to close so she does not give them the chance. She uses the blade with deadly precision, cutting off heads and barring that, hands and arms are the next targets of choice. She flips backwards as two zombies lunge at her. She lands on the hood of a car and flips back toward the others.

The zombies pursue.

A zombie's head explodes from Ash's Boomstick. Two more fall as Shego fires. They pour on the fire and along with Kim's blade they dispatch the zombie horde. The sounds of gunfire ends, echoing on the winds. Kim, Shego and Ash are breathing hard from their exertions. From above them the bodies of the dead stretch out from one side of the street to the other.

"I got the info," James says finally, "The Hive is back up an' runnin', but that means so are the security measures."

"That's why we got you, Shellhead. You have the clearance I- _we_ need."

"Roger that, boss. But I don't like it; it _feels_ like a trap to me. No one can reactivate the power plant remotely as far as I can tell. Someone had to do it from the inside and change the codes. There's no tellin' what else was changed."

"It doesn't matter, I'm still going in," Shego says.

"Me too," Kim answers with a nod.

"I…guess I'm along for the ride too," Ash says sighing in resignation.

"All right, boss, to the Hive then. I got my thermals up and motion sensors are active."

He takes a look around at the surrounding buildings then turns to the others. "Every building lining this street is a no-go. Zombies don't register much on my thermal scans but my motion sensors catch 'em pretty good. Stay clear from _all_ of the buildings on this street, ya hear me?"

The others nod.

"Good. I'll try to find us a safe route through here and then find the nearest entrance point to the Hive. Stay close and quiet, I don't want any stragglers. You stray, you die, got me?"

Again they nod, Kim and Ash both gulp audibly.

"Follow me," he says as the Gatling gun swivels down from his back to his hand. He starts walking down the street and the others follow close behind him.

They walk in silence. That silence is interrupted by the familiar groaning and moaning off in the distance but James keeps the group together, weaving through cars and trucks on the street, then sticking to the walls of buildings to avoid encounters of the zombie-kind. In marching order James is first, followed by Shego, Kim and Ash covering their rear.

Kim attempts to quell the rising feeling of uneasiness in the pit of her stomach with little success. Terror had replaced fear a long time ago and it was beginning to affect her emotions. She is concerned for Shego, her arch-nemesis, as the elation for finding her has worn off somewhat. _She's hell-bent over this_ ; she thinks to herself, _I've never seen her so focused!_ _For a moment I thought I could see through the wall she' surrounded herself with, but now she's cold, distant. Did I go too far earlier? Did I push for something that isn't even there? I don't know anymore…what the hell was I even thinking?_

Shego could _feel_ Kim staring at her from behind. Repressed emotions threaten to burst forth from inside her but she forces them down even further. _Now's not the time, goddamnit! Get your powers back and melt the fuckers that did this to you first! Worry about the rest later. Hell, the slate should be clean now; I saved your ass from becoming a zombie's dinner. So why the hell are you still looking at me like that? Damnit, Kim! Stop it! We'll sort this shit out later, if we get through this._

Ash covers the back, his Boomstick waving back and forth at the slightest noise. _This is beyond insane_ , he thinks. _There's no tellin' where that hell-soul disappeared to! It could be anywhere by now! Why the hell am I following these girls an' the tin can anyway? We should be high tailin' it outta here!_

James was also lost in his thoughts as he guided the rest. _We're gonna have to stop soon and find some food, I'm starvin'! At least the 'vids of Kim are true, she's all that an' more! I'd hate to tussle with her on a regular basis like Shego. One thing's for sure, if this crazy scheme by Shego doesn't pan out I'm killin' her before I go!_

They weave through the empty vehicles and cross the street quickly. James leads them down towards the left, stopping in front of a massive gothic cathedral. He turns around, surveying the other buildings under the various spectrums his helmet provides.

"Why are we stopping," Shego whispers quietly to him.

"The coast is clear for now," he answers, "The church here is empty as are the surrounding buildings. We should be safe in there for a while at least. I gotta stop, Shego, I'm starvin'!"

"Ash and I have a bunch of MRE's in our backpacks," Kim offers, "There's a few in the backpack I gave you too, Shego."

She sighs as her stomach growls, "All right, we'll rest here for a while."

James smashes the locks on the doors and Kim uses her lipstick laser to do the rest. The doors open revealing several light sources within. They enter in the order they were traveling as Ash shuts the doors behind him.

The cathedral is vast in size, looking severely out of place in Raccoon City. The light sources reveal themselves as large candles still burning along the walls and placed around the main altar.

"The people probably left in a panic," Kim reasons, staring at the lit candles.

The main worship area is configured like most others with pews evenly spaced in rows and a column of pews on the left side front of the altar and another on the right. James disengages his Gatling gun and sits it on the floor next to the pew closest to the altar and he sits down. Shego sits down close to him and crosser her arms across her chest in a huff of frustration. Kim walks in front of them and sits down cross-legged on the floor, facing them. She pulls off her backpack laying it on her lap and opens it. She pulls out an MRE pack and hands it to James. He takes it gratefully and proceeds to rip it open. She hands one to Shego, who also takes it.

Ash steps up to the altar, observing the large wooden cross suspended over it. James takes off his helmet. He would be considered Latino handsome if not for a nasty scar on his cheek and nose.

" _Jesus_ , I can see why you wear that helmet all the time" Shego quipped.

James rubs the scar.

"Yeah, a partin' gift from the Pakistan army,"

Kim looks up at James.

"Pakistan? What were you doing there?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm former Army, Officially I got this beau of a scar from a VBIED*, NOT from a Pakistan 88mm mortar round. My buddy Ass…"

Ash wanders over and plops next to Kim.

"What's up?"

"Not Ash, Ass. A-S-S. Nickname of a buddy of mine who got hurt, we were watchin' the exaction point for some SF guys when we got made. Got out and signed on with Umbrella as they offered the best money and benefits package. 'Course in hindsight, maybe I made a shitty career choice."

"Why work for such an evil Corporation?"

"Didn't I say ' _paycheck_ ' already? I don't really care what they do as long as the money's good."

"'til they try to eat you," Shego remarks around a mouthful.

"Point taken. Look Kim, I'm tellin' the truth. If that makes me a bad guy, so be it. Money's money, and I like havin' lots of it. That's assumin' of course, that we get out of here."

"We will once I get my powers back."

"I'm holdin' ya to that."

The conversation dies down as they eat. Ash breaks the silence with a yawn. It is infectious and the others copy him one after the other. James stands up and puts his helmet back on. He walks around the perimeter of the worship room several times as the rest finish their MRE's. He walks back over to them as Ash gathers the trash from their meal.

"The coast is still clear. I don't detect any zombies or worse in our immediate area. I can see everyone is exhausted, yours truly included. I suggest we take this time to rest, we won't have the opportunity once we reach the Hive."

"But what about the zombies, or those eyeless things," Shego protests.

"We'll rest in shifts," James offers, "A little rest is better than none and we'll need everyone focused for whatever's taken over the Hive. This is just a stopover on the way there, but we're gettin' close."

Shego attempts another protest but it is stifled by another powerful yawn. Kim yawns next and then Ash. James yawns last but his helmet covers it. "I'll take first watch," Kim offers.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay, Ash. You've been through a lot and you could use the rest. I'll wake you when it's time."

"Okay, here, take this," he says as he tosses her his Boomstick, "It's fully loaded."

"Thanks."

"I'll watch with you," Shego sighs tiredly as she stands, "At least this way Shellhead won't bore you to death with his inane questions."

"Hey!"

"Shut it and get some rest," she growls.

James shrugs and sits down at the other end of the pew where Ash had already lay down and was fast asleep. "Wake us up in a few hours," James says as he slouches comfortably.

"Will do," Kim says.

Shego stretches languidly then makes sure the M1911 pistol is ready. She puts it in its holster and walks up to Kim. Ash is snoring loudly and James as well but is muffled slightly by his helmet. Kim steps away from the pews and sits on the stair that leads to the altar. Shego stands in front of her, looking down at her.

"What is it Shego?"

"We need to talk," she says with a hard edge in her voice. She walks up past the altar and sits down in one of the back chairs reserved for the choir.

Kim sighs deeply, her face turning several shades of red as a feeling of dread works its way into her stomach. _Why am I dreading this_ , she asks herself, _I knew we'd have this conversation sooner or later._ She stands up and tries to compose herself as she walks over to Shego and sits down next to her.

"Your face is redder than your hair," Shego comments nonchalantly, removing her gloves as Kim sits.

She can feel her face burn even hotter from Shego's observation. "Sorry," she says half apologetically and half questioningly.

Kim waits for Shego to start, suffering through a long moment of uncomfortable silence. She finds that she cannot look directly at Shego without her face burning in embarrassment.

"Do you blush _all_ over?"

"Wha…what kind of question is that?"

"A simple one with a 'yes' or 'no' answer."

"I…I dunno."

"That wasn't one of the choices, princess."

If Shego's question was designed to embarrass her further it had the desired effect. "Why don't you ask me what you really want to ask?"

Shego smirks at her handiwork. "Okay, to start off my memory is still hazy in a few spots and I need you to fill in the blanks."

"Sure."

"I remember Dr. D. and most of his hair-brained schemes. I remember you always showing up to stop us, but you weren't alone, you have a sidekick that helps."

Kim frowns," He's not a sidekick, his name's Ron. He's beaten you a few times too, you know?"

"Not like how you did in our last fight," she snorts.

Kim's face, which had reverted back to a normal color, suddenly turns the color of her hair. "Yeah…about that…"

"I remember the fighting, "she says, ignoring her, "and how intense it was. I don't remember our fights ever reaching that level before."

"Me neither," Kim mutters looking away from Shego.

"Going through it I can see instances where you backed off. You could've beaten me but you chose to continue the fight, why?"

"Hey, you did the same thing at least twice," Kim counters," You're just as guilty as I am."

"So why did you do it?"

Kim shrugs feeling very self conscious, "I was so 'in the zone' with everything I didn't want it to stop. I had to push myself beyond my limits just to keep up with you, when I found that I could keep up that level of intensity and focus I just let myself go."

Shego takes a moment to mull over Kim's answer and finally nods. "Fine, I can accept that. I have to admit, I felt the same way. I had to dig down deep into my bag of tricks to counter your moves. I…I enjoyed it."

Kim was shocked at the revelation, what shocked her even more was what she said next. "I…I enjoyed it too."

Another moment of uncomfortable silence passes. Kim knew where Shego was going to go next, and dreaded what she might say in response to the next line of questions.

"My first thoughts I can remember right before waking up in that hellish place was of you."

Kim could feel her face burn bright red as Shego looks at her to gauge her reaction. Her smirk turns wicked. "Do you want to know what I was thinking about?"

Kim stared at the wall, the ceiling, anywhere but her face! "Uh, s-sure," she stammers trying to sound nonchalant but failing miserably.

"I had your wrists tied up above you and you were at my complete mercy. I close in and we…kiss. I can't seem to place where we were when that happened, where were we?"

Through sheer effort Kim keeps her heart from pounding out of her chest. " _Really?_ Wow! Nowhere because _that_ never happened. You made that up on your own!" Now it was Kim's turn to smirk at Shego.

"I…see."

_Great! Way to go Shego, why don't you tell her about your other fantasies? I'm_ sure _she'd absolutely love to hear what you want to do with her and a massive tub of whipped cream!_

Kim suppresses most of a giggle as Shego coughs uncomfortably. "Well, so much for that. But what about the end of our fight? That wasn't a fantasy, was it?"

Kim shifts uncomfortably in the chair and answers in a meek voice, her face burning again. "No, that _did_ happen…but in my defense you left me no choice!"

"I had you," Shego says remembering, "I had you beat fair and square, which is surprising."

"I know," Kim says quietly as she looks away.

"What I can't make out is what I was saying to you after I pinned you."

Kim takes the blushing to a whole new level! Apparently she _does_ blush all over! "You…don't want to go there," Kim manages with great difficulty.

"Whatever I said _really_ affected you," Shego says reading Kim's facial reactions, "What did I say?"

Kim is silent, unable to speak. Her insides are all jumbled up with conflicting emotions as well as near-total embarrassment. "I…I can't s-say h-here," she stammers, "I-It's too embarrassing!"

"You _do_ blush all over!"

"Shut up!"

Kim's entire body freezes as Shego places a hand lightly on her thigh. "Why Kim," Shego says in a deep seductive voice, "You're tense!"

Kim stands up and takes a step away from Shego. Shego grasps her arm with her hand and Kim stops. Shego stands and gently tugs at Kim's arm. Kim turns around slowly; fully aware of how close Shego's presence is to hers. She still cannot meet Shego's gaze so she stares at the floor. A finger touches her chin, coaxing her to look up. Kim rebels by closing her eyes as she raises her face. Emotions long suppressed in her heart threaten to burst out so she bites her quivering bottom lip in an effort to stop them.

Kim jumps slightly in shock as she feels Shego's hot breath in her ear. "I didn't know I had such an effect on you," she whispers.

"S-stop Shego, p-please," Kim stammers as tears begin to stream out of the corner of her shut eyes, "D-don't do this!"

The hot breath disappears from her ear only to reappear in her other one. "In the end, you still won, even though I beat you."

Kim's body shudders as Shego blows in her ear. A small whimper escapes from her lips before she clamps down and stifles the rest. She feels Shego's fingers on her face as she wipes away the tears.

"I didn't mean to make you cry," Shego whispers in Kim's ear her voice suddenly full of emotion, "I-I didn't know."

Kim feels Shego's presence move away, giving her time and space to get back under control. It takes Kim a while; she opens her eyes when she regains most of her composure. Shego is back in the chair sitting cross-legged. Her hand pats the chair next to her. Kim walks over and sits down next to her. The silence between them is deafening.

"How long?"

"A long time," she whispers after a long moment of quiet, "Even before you started stealing into my bedroom."

Shego stares at her, her eyes wide in shock, "Y-you knew?"

"Of course I did! At first I thought you came in to attack me, but something inside me said otherwise. You aren't the type to do something like that."

_Damn girl, if you only knew!_ "H-how did you know? I mean, I never made a sound!"

"That's right, you didn't," she says nodding, "But I knew you were there, I _felt_ you, I can't explain it any better than that. But my suspicions were confirmed when I saw your reflection from the moonlight on the photo on my wall."

"Sooo…why didn't you get up?"

"It's my bedroom Shego. I don't think the bedroom is a proper venue for a fight, especially when the parents wake up. Besides," she says blushing more, "I wasn't…decent."

_Do go on, princess! Tell me more!_ Shego shakes her head, clearing those thoughts from her mind.

"After a while," Kim continues, "I kinda got used to it so that's why I stopped locking the window. I waited to see if you'd wake me up but you never did." _Or crawl into bed with me either._

"I feel like such an ass now," Shego says blushing hard, "Whatever Umbrella did to me really jumbled my memories. I can't tell what memories are real or just…"

She lets the sentence die without finishing. Kim takes her hand in hers without realizing it, but Shego notices. "You went through one hell of a traumatic experience, maybe when you get your powers back your memories will right themselves."

"I guess I'll just come right out and ask then," Shego says after taking in a deep breath. "We're not lovers then?"

"No," Kim says quietly unable to meet Shego's eyes.

"Hmmm, that solves that. Sorry to trouble you with the questions." She moves her hand away from Kim's. A period of uncomfortable silence follows.

"Well, now we know how we feel about each other," Kim offers.

"Aren't you going out with that blond kid, what's his name? Your sidekick, Ron?"

"He's not a sidekick," she reminds her, "He's been my best friend for forever and yes we were going out. But it didn't last; we broke up after a trial run of a few months. The strange part was he broke up with me! But we're still BFFs, that'll never change."

"Sorry to hear it," Shego says.

Kim looks at her quizzically, "Huh? That's…not like you, Shego, but thanks all the same."

"Isn't that what you're supposed to say when someone tells you bad news? It's like when you hear someone talking about a relative that just died, it's awkward, you know?"

"I'm just not used to hearing you talk like this. We…we've never held a conversation for this long before."

"I know. Hey, if it'll make you feel better we can throw down if you want."

"I'd like that," Kim said sincerely as she turned her face towards the snoring men, "but we'd probably wake them up."

Kim stretches her arms and back tiredly, "Besides, I'm too tired to fight right now."

Shego watches her as she stretches and feels her face blush as her eyes wander over the girl. She looks away quickly and a yawn escapes her lips, providing a perfect cover for her, "Me too," she says.

"If you want to rest I'll stand watch," Kim offers as she watches the tail end of her yawn.

Shego shakes her head, "No, but thanks for the offer. There's more than just zombies out there, cupcake. I watched as a clawed… _thing_ …decapitate a scientist with its whip-like tongue. I don't mean to scare you but there's worse than that even. There's a huge hulking monster somewhere in the sewer system that almost took me and the guard out. I know this sounds morbid, but I'd rather see my death coming, at least that way I can fight back. I don't want to open my eyes and find myself surrounded by zombies or worse."

"Well, since we're being honest and open with each other," Kim says changing the subject quickly, "When did you first know you had feelings that were…different…than before?"

"What makes you think I'm gonna tell you anything," Shego asks with a frown. Kim cannot tell if her frown is genuine or not.

"So it is true then," Kim exclaims with a triumphant smirk," you _do_ have a-"

Shego cuts her off with a raised fist. "Caught me in your goddamn trap, you bitch," she snarls but the corner of her mouth turns into a smile immediately afterwards, "No way am I falling for that shit! Sorry, you'll have to find out another way!"

"Aw c'mon, Shego! That's not fair!"

Shego sticks her tongue out in response and crosses her arms over her chest. Kim returns the gesture in kind. "Is there anything you want to say at all," Kim asks.

There is a long moment of silence as Kim watches Shego's face. To Kim she seems to be having an internal struggle on whether or not to give her an answer.

"I," she starts hesitantly, "I don't know when it started, Kimmie. Truly, I don't. But I can't deny that there is a…attraction. There, are you happy now?"

The deep blushing of her face is the only outward sign of her answer, but Kim's heart skips at her words. "The feeling's mutual," Kim manages to mutter under her breath after a moment of silence.

Shego abruptly stands and stretches. She is overtaken by another yawn which is infectious as Kim finds herself yawning. "Given the circumstances we're in I guess that's good to know," Shego says sardonically, "I need to clear my head and move around before I pass out."

"Me too," Kim says as she stands and stretches her legs, "You take one end and I'll take the other."

"We'll meet in the middle," Shego finishes the thought for her.

Kim nods as Shego leaves the choir area. _Well, that went better than expected_ , she thinks to herself as she watches Shego walk over to the far wall, _but does that change anything between us? She's still a thief and a villain even without her powers. Can I really reconcile my feelings for her given what she is? Well, that's simple: yes! Yes I can!_

They walk the perimeter of the pews and stare outside through the tinted windows. Neither of them sees movement which is a blessing. They meet at the front doors and head back to the choir area and sit back down. Shego is lost in her own thoughts and Kim's attempts at conversation fall on deaf ears. Kim sits back, deflated and gloomy. The rest of the time they are awake is spent in uncomfortable silence.

Shego stands up first and heads over to James and wakes him up for his shift. Kim does the same for Ash as Shego stretches out on a front pew, using the backpack as a makeshift pillow. Kim hands the Boomstick back to Ash and kneels down in front of Shego who has already fallen asleep. She rests her head on the seat of the pew, pressing against Shego's stomach. Shego shifts slightly but does not wake up. Ash and James assume defensive positions as Kim closes her eyes.

She sleeps fitfully, zombies and worse do not haunt her dreams, it is the horrible cries and screams from the people of the city that rise up from the streets when she was on the rooftops that play over and over again in her mind.

Shego opens an eye as Kim's shifting wakes her. _That can't be comfortable_ , she thinks to herself as she watches Kim shift and fidget. She sits up and slides off of the pew. She pulls Kim to the floor, placing her backpack where her head will lay. Kim does not wake up as Shego repositions her and lays her down. She puts her arm around the girl and pulls her close in an effort to get her to stop shaking and shifting. After a moment it works as Kim's body relaxes. Shego grumbles under her breath in irritation as she shifts herself to get somewhat comfortable on the hard, cold floor. It is not long before her eyes close and she joins Kim in fretful sleep.

* * *

Ash and James watch the pair as they sleep.

"Are they… you know," Ash tries to ask.

James shakes his head, "I don't have a fuckin' clue. None of my business, really."

"How long do you think we'll be safe here?"

"Not for too much longer. I see a shit load of movement outside, an' the sun's comin' up soon. Movements are pretty far off, but they're comin' slowly but surely. I'd give us an hour maybe two at the most then we'll have to bug out pretty quick."

"Are we close to the Hive?"

"Closer than we were before. But we got a maze of tunnels and sewers to crawl through once we go underground."

"What do you think our overall chances are?"

"Hmmm. I'd say maybe one in ten, an' that's bein' generous."

"Great; that makes me feel better."

"You can hold your own against these things an' your good with a gun. You'd probably make it outta here by yourself if you tried so why don't you?"

"Kim saved my life back there," Ash replies, "I've had to run from the deadites for so long I'm tired of running. Kim's a good girl and she's tough, but I can tell she's never faced anything like this before. Hell, I had to show her how to use a gun!"

"She's a quick learner," James says respectfully, "but your reasons are your own, stupid though they may be."

"Hey, you're in the same boat as us!"

"I know, I never said my reasons were any better than yours. You an' me are the brawn of this outfit, Kim an' Shego can hold their own for a while but they'd be dead without us. I wanna see this through if I can. Besides," he adds patting the barrels of his weapon affectionately, "I'm lovin' the toys!"

"At least you like your line of work; I fell into mine because I was the only one left alive. Then things got _weird_."

James's helmet moves to look over the sleeping women then to the stained glass windows on the walls. He heads to the front door.

"Where are ya goin'?"

"Outside. The girls need some rest an' there's a pack of zombies gettin' a little close for comfort. I'll deal with 'em an' be back in a bit."

"What if you don't return?"

"I will. But if I don't get them outta here an' leave the city as fast as you can. The government will hear about this eventually. You don't want to be here when they decide to respond."

Ash gulps and nods as James opens the front doors and exits. Ash rechecks his Boomstick and looks over at the sleeping girls. _A Dark haired beauty and a redhead, just friends? Lovers? Enemies?_ He shakes his head. _As if we needed more crazy shit!_ His eyes turn to the windows on the far wall. He can see flashes of light coming from outside. _He found them. Get 'em James! An' get back here quick!_

He flips the Boomstick end over end in his hand and waits. Kim shifts and moans diverting his attention back to her. Her moan turns into a groan as she shifts closer to Shego, burying herself into the woman's chest. _Nightmare_ , he thinks to himself, smiling ruefully, _welcome to the damn club!_

* * *

*Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device


	9. Chapter 8

**A Meeting of Tyrants**

_She knew this is not real._

_But it is, in a way._

_She fires the revolver for the sixth time, burying the last bullet into the head of the zombie. It still lumbers toward her, groaning with cannibalistic intent. She throws the useless weapon at it, and misses horribly. The blade is out next and she cleaves the thing in two as it lunges for her. It falls, but another rises to replace it, followed by another and another. Her back is against the wall as they close in, arms outstretched. They groan, gnash their rotting teeth, and stare at her with lifeless eyes. She strikes out to the left, then the right. Two bodies fall, headless._

_The zombies press in._

_There are too many._

_She screams as they grab at her. Suddenly the wall explodes behind her. A glowing green aura of power and majesty stands where the wall used to be. A taloned finger points as a beam of plasma shoots forth incinerating her attackers._

" _Move it, princess!"_

_She runs through the hole in the wall and trips over a dead body. She lands heavily into the next room, a simple bedroom, unfamiliar. She stands and turns around, Shego is nowhere in sight. She stares at the body and recoils in shock as she recognizes the horribly twisted face._

_Ash._

_His body is half eaten, the rest lying in a pool of dark blood and gore. She rails and screams in complete denial._

_It does no good. The body is just a shell; that which gave it life has moved on. Tears stream down her face as a force moves her away from the body. Dimly, she realizes that it is Shego. Moaning and groaning noises fill the background as she is shoved into a hallway._

" _He's dead," Shego says harshly, "There's nothing you can do for him, let's go!"_

_Shego grabs her and runs down the hallway, leading her along. She can hear the noises of the zombies behind her getting louder even as they run faster. Shego stops and shoves her through an open doorway. She loses her balance as she trips over a wooden chair and falls out onto the fire escape._

" _Run!"_

_She stumbles down the ladder onto the street below with Shego following close behind. They run down the alley as more and more zombies rise out of the ground to follow them._

_They run for their lives._

_Her heart beats so fast it threatens to explode! She stops, making Shego stop._

" _We can't stop," Shego says panting heavily._

_She cannot reply, she does not have enough air to. She rests against a large tree, using every precious second to catch her breath. Shego does the same, resting against a large headstone. That is when they realize where they are._

_A cemetery._

" _Oh shit!"_

_Shego steps back from the headstone and looks around. The area is full of the dead and buried, headstones and monuments to the departed stretch out beyond where the eye can see. Cold dread grips her heart as Shego grasps her hand. "Keep moving!"_

_They run._

_Shego screams as she is tripped up and falls to the grass. She stops and reaches her hand out toward her. Shego's eyes are opened wide in horror at the headstone in front of her. She helps Shego up as they stare at the headstone. It is a simple unadorned headstone with two names carved into it: Kimberly Anne Possible and Shego!_

_Gnarled hands burst up from the ground and get a hold of Shego's ankles as she screams. She grabs her arms and pulls as the hands drag her down into the earth. She pulls with all of her strength but it is a losing battle as Shego is slowly pulled into the ground, screaming in horror! She screams at Shego to fight back, to help in any way she can._

_Her grip is torn away._

_Shego's screams stop. The last thing she sees is Shego's emerald eyes hold hers._

_She disappears into the earth._

_She cries. She screams. Her hands tear at the ground in an attempt to dig for her._

_Shego is gone. She is alone._

_The moans and groans fall silent. Everything is silent and still._

_They are gone._

_She is all alone…_

* * *

_Shego stares at herself._

_They are similarly attired, staring at each other with hatred and murderous intent. The other Shego is gaunter, ravaged by the remnants of whatever Umbrella injected her with. Her face is darker, paler, the lipstick and makeup running down her face in messy streams. Their fists clench._

" _I'm not gonna end up like you," Shego says to the other._

_The doppelganger smiles wickedly, showing the absence of many teeth, the others are rotting away. "Oh, yes you are. I'm making sure of that."_

_She calls the plasma to her, her fists glow with power barely restrained. "No! I'll find a way!"_

_She unleashes her fury. The doppelganger is consumed in the blast. Shego smiles in triumph, but the smile disappears as the blast does. The doppelganger stands there unharmed, smiling wickedly._

" _Care to try again," it asks mockingly._

_She roars as she draws all of her power into herself and expels it at the other. There is a terrific explosion but the result is the same, the doppelganger is unharmed. Shego feels the onset of fatigue as her breathing becomes labored. Suddenly, the doppelganger strikes, moving faster than the eye can see. Shego is caught in its iron grip and strains to break free._

" _Struggle if you must," it says to her, "but it won't do you any good."_

_Shego screams in horror as the doppelganger's mouth splits open vertically, revealing a cone-like maw of sharp teeth. It pulls Shego's face toward its dripping maw as Shego's screams reach a new pitch of terror!_

* * *

They wake up simultaneously. Shego's entire body shivers from the nightmare. Kim looks up into Shego's face seeing a momentary look of complete panic. She brings a hand up to her cheek to steady her. The panic disappears from her eyes, replaced by utter embarrassment as she blushes like mad. Kim could feel her face burning also as she offers Shego a smile to calm her down.

It works somewhat as Shego smiles back at her. She wraps her arms tighter around Kim and draws her into her chest. Kim locks her arms around Shego's back as she closes her eyes. Shego closes hers, letting Kim's warmth keep the nightmares at bay. They take solace in each other's presence as they fall back asleep.

Time passes as the girls get some much needed rest. But it is over all too soon. Kim and Shego are both roughly shook awake by an insistent Ash. "Wake up, gals! We gotta go!"

"Huh? Wha-?"

"Mmmm _…not here, Kimmie…_ Uh, what?"

" _MOVE!"_

They jump! Ash unloads his Boomstick at near point black range at an oncoming zombie, destroying it. Kim and Shego grab the backpacks and draw their weapons.

Shego's eyes dart around in panic, seeing zombies slither through the broken glass windows. "Where's Shellhead?"

An echo of a cry gets louder and louder as the double doors burst open from the outside in, the fully armed and armored guard sails through, landing heavily and sliding across the floor landing at Shego's feet.

"Present… and… accounted for," he declares painfully.

"What the _fuck?"_

Ash helps James up who groans in pain. "New nasty," he replies as he doubles over in agony.

Kim steps in front of the trio, her blade singing as it slices through the air, keeping the zombies at bay while Ash reloads and James takes a precious moment to fight through the pain. Shego draws her pistol and fires at the zombies lurching toward them from behind the altar. One drops then another.

More fall through the windows and begin their unending lurch towards the living. "I'm open to suggestions," Kim yells as she slices a zombie in half.

The front doors fall off their hinges as a towering bald figure steps into the cathedral. He is dressed in a massive trench coat and dead, soulless eyes. A massive fist strikes out, splintering the wall, opening the entrance for an identical figure to step through. A lurking zombie is too close to the first figure. It reaches out, grabbing the zombie by the head and squeezes. KiGo and Company stare in stark horror not so much at the act, but the sickening, horrible sound like a slow-exploding melon as the figure completes its task.

" _Shit_ ," James exclaims in (almost) fear, "there's two of 'em!"

"Exits?"

"Not sure, Kim, "Ash answers as his eyes dart around.

"Aw, hell," James exclaims as he stretches his arms and shoulders, "Time to make one, I guess!"

He starts at a dead run and lowers his shoulder like a linebacker as he smashes through the wall of the cathedral. He barrels over a trio of zombies before stopping. His gun snaps out, swiveling into his waiting hand, it hums for less than a second as the barrels revolve then spew forth destructive energy at the zombies around him.

"What are you waiting for," he screams at the others, "MOVE!"

The trench coat-clad figures start to move slowly toward the trio, swatting away any zombie that lurks too close to them like flies. Each step they take echoes like a small localized earthquake. All three brandish their weapons as these new horrors approach.

James roars as he unleashes a barrage of fire through the opening he just made. The blasts hit the figures but only succeed in knocking them off of their feet.

"DAMNIT! WHEN I SAY MOVE, I MEAN MOVE!"

The rage in his command causes the trio to double-time out of there. James swivels his weapon around and fires, clearing a path through the zombie hordes. They barely realize that the sun pokes through the dark storm clouds in places as they run for their lives. James takes the lead, his gun spewing final death to the zombies as they move. From all of the buildings around them zombies burst forth from doorways, windows, even from high above, but at least those ones do not move anymore.

"I'm startin' to overheat," James warns as he levels the ground with suppressing fire.

"Fall back Shellhead," Shego yells above the fire, "We'll have to take care of it from here!"

"Roger that!"

His weapon stops and he flips it to his back where it clicks in place. He does draw one of his long, wickedly curved blades in case any get too close.

"Kim! Here!"

She tosses the revolver to the hero who catches it and pulls the hammer back.

Ash cocks his Boomstick as they press forward. The scene is apocalyptic in scope. Overturned vehicles choke the streets, some still in flames while others are burned-out husks. Shattered glass creates a new hazard which slows them down as they weave through the shattered remains of the city. Groups of zombies lurch this way and that, looking for more of the living to devour. The one thing that goes in favor for the foursome is that the zombies are relatively slow when they are far away and they are able to keep them at a distance, at least for now.

James coughs and doubles over in pain. "What's wrong?"

"Nothin', Red. You don't mind if I call you that do you," he asks in obvious pain.

"Sure," she responds somewhat at a loss.

"Suck it up, Shellhead," Shego admonishes, "We need to keep moving!"

"Right. Next time I'll let you go a couple rounds with a fuckin' Tyrant. I'd love to see what's left of ya after that!"

"What did you call it?"

"A Tyrant. Heard 'bout 'em in the Hive when I was still stationed there. I overhead a bunch of white coats discussin' 'em on break once. That started to get me thinkin' 'bout my career choices an' my shitty luck with 'em."

He opens his helmet and coughs again, spitting out a full mouthful of blood.

" _Jesus,"_ Ash breathes.

"It's nothin'," he scowls, flashing the trio with a deadly glare that freezes both Kim and Shego in their tracks, "Lay off! I'll be all right in a minute!"

"O-okay," Kim stammers taking a few steps back.

Shego regains her nerve more quickly. She steps right up to him and punches him across the face with all of her strength. The force of the blow staggers him but he rolls with the blow keeping his feet under him.

"Listen here, _mother fucker_! We don't have time for this shit! We need everyone alive if we're going to get anywhere! You're injured and need medical assistance!"

"Back _off_ ," he growls dangerously, blood dripping from his chin "I'm not stupid! But we can't stop while those Tyrants are on the loose! I got some high-grade medical stuff from Umbrella in my pack specifically for something like this and I'll use it when I get the chance. For now I need to stop an' catch my breath…" In a flash a knife was at her throat. "…so fuck off, _bitch!"_

_I didn't even see him move! Shit!_

"Uh, _guys_ ," Kim calls out, her voice full of dread and her eyes wide in terror.

"I hate to break up this little love fest," Ash says, his voice also reaching a high level of panic, "but we got _company_!"

Both Kim and Ash stare in the same direction: directly ahead. Impossibly, a car leaps from the street and flies into a building. Then another takes to the air and flies into a building at the opposite side of the street. Zombies go flying as do more vehicles. A bald figure, a Tyrant, smashes through a deuce and a half and then stops not even fifty feet away from the heroes.

"Shit," James winces as he shoves the mask back on and pulls the knife away from Shego's neck, "Get behind me!"

Kim and Ash rush to get behind the wounded guard as he swivels his gun to the ready position. The Tyrant takes a step forward.

"You know, now would be a good time to turn into that Bad Ass form of yours," James remarks to Ash.

"I don't know if I can while the sun's out," he says regretfully, "It's not like I can will myself to change it just happens!"

"Fuck!"

The Tyrant takes another step; its dead gaze focused solely on… Shego? James takes a look at the temperature reading on his gun and lets out a stream of curses as he unhooks it from his back. "Gun's almost ready. Here, take it," he says as he shoves it at Ash.

Ash grabs it and doubles over, clearly not prepared for the weight of the weapon. He sets the gun down and braces it against his knee as the Tyrant takes another step. James turns to the others.

"Time for some one-on-one action. I'll keep this mother fucker busy until the gun is ready. Ash when that readout there flashes green aim it toward the Tyrant and press this, got it?"

"Yeah."

"Right."

James draws his machete and knife and turns around to the approaching Tyrant. "All right, ass bitch! Let's do this!"

The Tyrant stops as its face moves to regard the challenger. James advances slowly favoring his right side as he moves. The Tyrant moves in. It telegraphs its attack as it raises a fist into the air and comes down. James easily sidesteps the slow attack as its fist smashes into the ground sending rubble out in all directions. In a flash, he buries the knife directly at the Tyrant's kneecap. Spinning, he lashes out with the machete slicing upward across the monster's back. The Tyrant does not register the pain, in fact, it does not register anything at all. James's mind comes to this realization as the hilt of his knife come into view.

"Aw, _shit_!"

The Tyrant backhands the guard with thunderous force, sending him flying into the side of a building. He slides to the ground, landing hard. The Tyrant moves in slowly, measured step by measured step. When the Tyrant reaches James he is already on his feet, his fists up defensively. The Tyrant telegraphs again and James ducks under the powerful blow. Its fist smashes clean through the building and James capitalizes by shoving a knee into its mid-section then bringing both fists down hard on its shoulder.

The Tyrant falls to one knee as it tries to pull its fist back out of the building. James uses the opportunity to send his fist into the side of its face and the Tyrant reels from the blow. Another fist to the face causes the same reaction but its fist dislodges from the building wall. The Tyrant attempts to backhand James again but this time he is ready for it. He ducks under the attack and uppercuts the Tyrant's chin using all of the strength that he has. He jabs with fist after fist into the monster's face then jumps back as its hands slam together on the spot where he just was.

The Tyrant takes its time to stand, towering over James. Off to his right James spies a fallen light post and runs toward it as the Tyrant follows. He grabs it and swings it like a golf club, smashing into the Tyrant's face. He raises the light post like a bat as the Tyrant's head rights itself to stare directly at him.

"Batter up," he mutters as the Tyrant lunges.

He swings. _Crack!_ The light pole bends around the Tyrant's head, the momentum behind the blow throws off the Tyrant's attack as its fist lands next to the guard. He wrenches the light post off of the monster and swings again.

The Tyrant catches it with its other hand.

James strains and grunts in pain as he attempts to wrest the light pole free from the monster, but the Tyrant's strength is too great. In fact the monster wrenches the pole away from the guard. He stares dumbfounded at his empty hands then lets out an audible ' _Oof!'_ as he becomes the recipient of a light pole swing. He flies into the side of an SUV, leaving a human-shaped dent in its side. His world explodes in pain as he falls to the asphalt. The Tyrant steps toward him as it lets go of the useless light pole.

James struggles to stand. _What's keeping 'em, anyway? The gun should be fine by now!_ A massive hand grabs him by the neck, ending his internal questions. He is lifted effortlessly off of the ground and raised above the Tyrant as it rears its other fist. James takes the full force of the attack as he flies _through_ two cars and a truck!

_Damn! Why…why am I not…dead yet?_ Every muscle screams in pain as he forces them to move. The only way his legs support him is because of his armor. The HUD built into his helmet flickers erratically, disorienting him. He slaps the side of his helmet, an exposed internal wire give him a jolt, but the HUD clears up.

The Tyrant stands directly in front of him with both fists raised.

_No! Not like this!_ The Tyrant's arms come down for the final blow. James reacts quickly diving underneath its legs and rolls as the fists destroy what is left of the vehicle that was behind him. James rolls onto his feet and stands. He assumes the linebacker formation and charges the Tyrant as it turns around. His shoulder smashes into the monster knocking it to the ground.

"Back off," Ash yells from both above and behind him.

James dives to the side as Ash presses the trigger. The barrels rotate and hum then destructive energy spews out. The beams hit the Tyrant in the back as its trench coat bursts into flames. Ash holds the trigger down until the entire Tyrant is consumed.

James looks up and sees Ash and Shego bracing his weapon on top of a blue Freightliner truck. Kim's head pops up behind them and waves at the guard.

"Up here," Ash shouts.

James hobbles over to the truck and climbs on. Shego helps him up and then dumps him on his ass after he reaches the roof. "Thanks," he growls weakly.

"Don't mention it," she answers darkly.

"We had to move," Kim explains as she helps him remove his helmet, "zombies appeared out of nowhere and we had to go."

"Yeah, we couldn't move very fast 'cause your 'toy' weighs a goddamn ton," Ash remarks.

"Hell, I thought you guys up an' left me," James says with a damn ugly smile.

"Tried it," Shego says nonchalantly as she _glares_ at Ash and Kim, "sadly no one else went for it though."

"You guys are the best! Shego?"

"What do you want, asshole?"

"Sorry for drawin' my knife on ya like that. I guess things got a little heated there."

She shakes her head in disbelief and raises an eyebrow, "A _little?"_

"Now you know what happens when I get pissed," he says simply, "But don't worry, it won't happen again, boss."

Shego seethes in quiet rage, "See that it doesn't."

"Yes Ma'am!"

Shego turns away from James and sits next to Ash who strains to lift James's weapon. She grabs it off of him and lays it in her lap with minimal effort. Ash stares at her, shocked. "Damn! I didn't know you were so strong!"

"I used to be stronger," she mutters as she surveys the ground before them, "before this shit happened!"

Several zombies groan as they stumble around in various directions below them. The group is out of their reach for now. "I take it you don't wanna talk about it?"

"No more than I did already."

"Gotcha."

She sighs heavily. "Thanks though for deciding to stick with me on this. This is new territory for me. I'm not used to asking others for help."

"I hear ya. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Kim though. She saved my ass back there so where she goes I go." He lets out a defeated sigh. "This stuff ain't new to me, but I do a lot of runnin' and I'm tired of it! It'd be nice to actually go on the offensive for once an' take it to 'em! Especially since I found out Umbrella was using the Necronomicon in their early experiments to help create all this!"

"What?"

He nods. "It's true. The framework is there. I don't know how much of the Necronomicon they used but some of the secrets gleaned from that book were used. I have notes from Umbrella researchers stating that fact."

"Wonderful! Just fucking wonderful!"

"So in a way, I guess my battle is your battle too."

"I guess."

Their conversation ends and they stare out and watch the zombies shuffle and stumble below.

"Hey, Red? Reach around my side here and open that little cargo pack."

"Okay. What am I looking for?"

"You'll know it when you feel it."

She reaches around the injured guard and finds the little cargo box attached to his armor. She presses a button and the top pops open. She puts her hand in and grabs a small metallic tube and pulls it out. She shows what she found to James.

"Is this it?"

He nods then coughs, spitting blood. "Hand it over," he says when he is able to talk.

She does. He takes it and presses one end of the tube. At the other end a long needle shoots out. James looks at Kim. "Can you help me get this chest plate off?"

"Uh, okay."

He helps her find the hidden buttons to his chest plate and she pries it off after hitting the last button. She recoils in shock as she sees the extent of his damage.

His muscled chest is scarred and lacerated from many previous battles. Deep purple bruises mar the skin not covered in scars. "My god," she breathes.

"I have to tell ya, Red, it tickles a bit," he says forcing himself to smile through the pain.

"Now look away, Red. You're not goin' to want ta see this. This is gonna _suck_ for me."

She takes his advice and turns her face away from him as he plunges the needle into his chest. Liquid fire courses through him as he grits hits teeth to prevent himself from screaming. The stuff does its work as the bruises slowly disappear, his internal organs right themselves and his shattered bones knit back into place. In a few seconds it is over.

He sighs as the pain disappears from his sides and chest. The scars from his old battle wounds still remain. " _Much better_ ," he says with a dreamy smile as he pulls the metallic tube from his chest.

Kim turns back around still horrified at what she might see. Her eyes widen in shock as most of the scars and all of the bruising is gone!

"H-how did…?"

He smiles a puts a finger to his lips in a hushing motion. He looks from side to side conspiratorially and leans in. Kim leans in to hear him.

"You wanna know where I got this stuff?'

She nods vigorously.

"Umbrella," he whispers then looks from side to side again and turns back to her, " _I stole it!_ "

"You WHAT?"

He laughs and Kim blushes as she realizes that it is at her expense. "Messin' with ya, kid! I did get it from Umbrella, special hyper-healin'-techno mambo-jumbo. It was the last one I had so I need to be more careful from here on in. On the plus side there should be a pretty heavy stash of the stuff in the Hive once we get there. Who knows? It might cure your girlfriend over there."

"Sh-Shego? S-she's not m-my…girlfriend," she stammers as her face turns a deeper red than her hair.

"Oh," he says as the smile dies on his face and his entire demeanor deflates, "I'm sorry. I, uh, thought that…"

"No big," she says still blushing like mad, trying to wave it all off but the look in his eyes betrays some of his thoughts to her. _What does he know that I don't?_

He chuckles as he reads her expression, "I _thought_ so!"

"Huh? What? What do you mean by that?"

"Nothin'," he says with a smile then puts his chest plate back on.

He and Kim stand up and move over to Ash and Shego. James puts his helmet back on and asks, "What's the plan?"

"How far away are we from the Hive?"

"Further than where we were last night," James answers as he turns to Shego, "Give me a minute to get my bearings."

"The sooner we get this over with the better," Shego says morosely.

"I can't agree more," Ash adds.

"Got it," James says as he slides down the roof, "Let's go!"

Shego tosses his weapon down to him and he attaches it to its tether. Shego jumps down and he catches her. Kim is next while Ash slides down on his own. "Which way," Shego asks.

He points to the north, "That way."

KiGo and Company head out. They stop at the sound of grinding metal behind them. As one, they turn to look. The Freightliner lurches once, twice. Everyone gets their weapons ready as the Freightliner lurches a third time. The cab explodes as a massive form shears its way through.

"I don't believe it," Kim breathes.

Massive claws tear apart what is left of the cab. A charred, hulking monstrosity steps through the destroyed truck. "Is…is that…?"

"I dunno, Shego. It looks almost like a Tyrant, but bigger."

"Meaner too," Ash adds.

The monstrosity's eyes lock on Shego. She can feel its gaze pierce through her as her legs refuse to move. It takes a thunderous step toward them.

"Your turn for a throw down," James says to her, but she doesn't answer.

It takes another step; small cracks appear in the asphalt where its feet land. Its massive arm reaches out to Shego, impossibly long thick claws point directly at her.

"Options?" Kim asks fearfully.

"Fight or flight," James answers as it takes another step.

KiGo and Company take a step back. "Who votes for fight?"

No one answers. The monster takes another step closer.

As one they vote…

" _RUN_!"

Shego's scream prompts everyone to action as they turn tail and run. The charred Tyrant follows moving faster than before, its thunderous footsteps keeping pace with the strategic retreat. Kim and Shego are in the rear of the foursome and they both realize it is gaining on them as they feel its hot fetid breath at their backs. Kim and Shego split direction, Kim going left, while Shego splits to the right just as massive claws tear through the ground where she just was. It turns to the right to pursue Shego.

She weaves through cars and somersaults over another as she runs across the street. The charred monster swats the vehicles away with minimal effort. Shego leaps over the last car, landing on the opposite side of the street. A pair of zombies stumbles out of the entrance of the building she is next to, moaning and groaning as they approach her. She turns to run down the street but three more zombies come out of the side alley, blocking her. The charred monster approaches from the street overturning the vehicles in his way as if they were toys.

A gunshot rings out as one of the zombies in front of her falls. Shego chances a look across the street and she sees Kim on top of a car with her arms extended, the revolver smoking in her hand. She fires again and another zombie falls.

To add yet another complication thunder rolls overhead as the last vestiges of sunlight are blotted out by heavy storm clouds. Shego flips over the last zombie, kicking its back as she rolls on the street. The force of her kick sends the last zombie crashing into the pair behind her. They fall in a heap of thrashing limbs as the charred Tyrant arrives at the street. It does not bother to step over them it steps _on_ them, making a sickening crunching sound as it does so. Shego is up in a heartbeat and runs down the street as fast as she can.

The monster closes in as another peal of thunder shudders across the sky. Her guard suddenly appears in front of her, the Gatling gun pointing directly at her!

"GET DOWN!"

She leaps forward, sliding on the broken street pavement as he fires. Beams of fiery death blaze an inch above her nose as her sliding stops. The beams hit the monster directly in the chest stopping its forward momentum. James pours on the fire as Shego rolls out of the way. The monster is forced to take a step back from the assault. It brings its massive claws to its chest which deflects the beams!

"Hey! _No fair_ ," James complains.

The monster takes a step forward. It begins to rain. Shego runs behind James as he continues to fire. The Tyrant takes another step. Kim leaps over the last car, landing next to Shego. Ash fires his Boomstick at the monster with no effect. Kim fires her pistol with the same results.

"Are we ever gonna catch a break," James asks rhetorically.

The Tyrant now stands in front of James and lashes out with a clawed hand. He takes to the air and smashes through a building across the street three stories up! Ash fires point blank into the monsters face as Kim and Shego retreat. _Hell, there isn't even a bullet hole!_ The monster opens it mouth revealing sharp fangs in its maw. Ash thrusts his Boomstick in it and presses the trigger. This time the monster reels back flailing its arms as it staggers. Ash cocks the gun again as the Tyrant rights itself. It takes a step back as Ash fires again.

Kim and Shego hide behind an overturned vehicle on the street as they watch Ash. Their guns are out and they fire for all the good it will do. Lightning flashes followed by the rumble of thunder.

Ash keeps up the pressure as the Tyrant staggers back. He fires again and again until… _click_. He presses the trigger again. _Click!_ He stares at the gun in disbelief! The Tyrant rights itself towering over him. _Shit!_ _I'm…_

His thoughts are interrupted as the Tyrant punches him. Ash flies and smashes through a car several yards in front of Kim and Shego.

"NOOO!"

Kim drops the pistol and draws her blade, leaping out from behind the vehicle.

"KIM! What are you doing?"

Kim does not answer as she runs at the monster that just killed her friend. _No! No more! I won't lose anyone else!_ She leaps and screams as she brings her blade to bear. The face of the monster turns up to her as she slashes. The Tyrant staggers back, one clawed hand clutching at its face. Its eyes were slashed completely open from her attack as its other arm flails about wildly at its new attacker. Kim flips backwards as an arm gets too close, smashing the ground where she had stood. She flips back again landing on the hood of a car as both of the Tyrant's hands smash the ground close to her.

Shego watches in mute horror at the spectacle of Kim leaping and dancing around the monster. _Kim! Get out of there! You don't stand a chance! I…I caused this! Kim…I'm so sorry! I…I killed us all!_ All she can do is watch as Kim leaps over the Tyrant but she can tell from the trajectory of the leap and the position of the Tyrant's raised arms that the end would come when she lands. She has no way out! Shego tries to scream a warning, but her words get caught in her throat. The scene plays out just as she imagined it: Kim takes to the air, slashing her blade across the Tyrant's eyes. Its arms are already raised in the air, poised for the final strike. Gravity takes hold of Kim as she lands just as both hands of the Tyrant come crashing down directly on top of her!

A roar explodes in front of Shego as does the car several yards in front of her. The explosion obscures the ending of Kim. At that moment Shego regains control of her voice. A wail of sorrow starts from the depths of her soul and travels through her entire being before escaping on her lips, overtaking the peal of thunder that shudders across the sky.

_This is the end. I don't care anymore. There's nothing to live for anymore. The one person in this life I've ever cared about is gone._ She shuts her eyes tightly as another roar echoes across the street. _You've won Umbrella, I give up. Take your prize monster, I won't struggle._ The dust settles from the explosion. Shego cannot bear to look but she owes it to her nemesis to see her one final time. She forces her eyes to open and then they go wide in shock!

Ash, only bigger and more monstrous looking, strains against the charred Tyrant. He holds an arm in each hand. Kim, still alive, sits directly below him staring in fearful awe at Ash.

_Sh-she's alive!_ "Kim! Get out of there," she screams through tear-filled eyes.

Kim hears her as she rolls out of the way. She gets out just in time as the Tyrant stomps down where she sat. Ash roars and pushes against the Tyrant even though the monster is taller than him. The Tyrant is forced back a step as Ash changes tactics and pulls the Tyrant toward him. The monster is not ready for the change in momentum, the strength of Deadite Ash is enough to lift the Tyrant off of the ground and it throws it across the street. It smashes into the same building that it sent James into. Ash roars a challenge as he stomps over to the building.

Shego runs out from behind the overturned vehicle and over to Kim who has taken refuge behind another vehicle. "Kim! Are you okay? Are you hurt? Let me see you!"

"I'm okay," Kim says calmly as Shego inspects her.

Finished with her initial inspection her gloved hands grip either side of Kim's face, forcing Kim to look at her. "Look at me," Shego commands, "Don't you _ever_ do that again, you hear me? I…I thought I lost you again! Don't _ever_ leave me like that again!"

Kim is taken aback by Shego's utterly serious expression. "O-okay," she says sheepishly, feeling more like she had just gotten scolded from her mother than anything else, "I'm sorry, Shego. When I saw what it did to Ash I got so angry! I…I don't want to lose anyone else."

" _I_ don't want to lose you, damnit! I thought that point was made clear last night!"

"Sh-Shego?"

"Don't. Leave. Me. Again. Understand?"

The presence of Shego this close made her blush despite the titanic battle going on around her. In the distance Ash flies back onto this side of the street smashing into a building a few buildings up from them. He bursts out of the building, roaring and raising his fist as he runs back across the street. Kim and Shego pay no attention to it as they stare into each other's eyes.

"Understood," Kim sighs, her voice full of emotion.

"Good."

Lightning flashes as the eyes of the red head go wide in shock as Shego unleashes the repressed passion she has for the girl. Kim accepts it all reveling in the moment. Behind them it is the Tyrant's turn to smash into the building. It steps out flexing its claws for a new attack, but the building behind it had suffered too much structural damage and it collapses on top of the Tyrant!

A peal of thunder rumbles as Shego releases Kim from her kiss and pulls her to her body, covering her as a massive cloud of dust and debris from the collapsed building covers them both. Ash lets out a long roar of triumph that slowly changes to a more human-like yell.

Kim and Shego dig themselves out of the rubble both thankful for the torrent of rain as it washes the concrete dust from them. Ash walks over to them; his clothes are in tatters but still useable.

"You okay, Kim?"

She could see that his knees were wobbling and his voice sounded weak. "I am," she says to him, "Thanks to you."

"You're welcome," he says simply then passes out.

Kim and Shego run to his unconscious body and try to wake him. The do not notice as James steps out of the building, a legless zombie clamped to his armored shoulder, trying in vain to bite through. He walks over to them and surveys the destruction.

"What'd I miss?"

Kim and Shego look up to him at first their expression are happy in the fact that he is still alive but they quickly turn to horror as they point to the half zombie hanging onto his shoulder. "Oh, that? I found a pet."

James grabs it and throws it to the ground. He holds it down with his foot.

"Hungry, aren't ya boy?"

The zombie just continues trying to chew through his armored boot.

He looks at Shego " _Sooo_ , can I keep him boss?"

Shego pinches the bridge of her nose, "No, you CAN'T keep it. Jeee-sus. You're almost as bad as Dr. D…"

"Sorry boy," he says apologetically to the now twice dead zombie as he crushes it's skull.

Ash slowly comes to. James and Shego help him up. "We'll need to get started before the zombies start comin' out of the woodwork," James states.

"Don't forget that there's _another_ Tyrant coming after us," Kim reminds the group.

"Right, an' there's no tellin' how many more are crawling around here."

Ash rummages through the rubble and is pleasantly surprised when he finds his trusty Boomstick. "I'm ready," he says convincingly.

"We'll stick to the roads an' avoid the zombies where we can, we're faster than 'em anyway. Maybe we'll find a pawn shop on the way or somethin' so you all can replenish your ammo. How 'bout you Shego? You ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready, Shellhead. Lead the way."

"This way."

James and Ash lead while Kim and Shego walk behind them. Kim smiles and blushes slightly as she feels Shego's hand take hers and squeezes it gently. The rain continues to pour down the dark sky illuminates intermittently with flashes of lightning followed by rolls of thunder, but with the simple act of Shego holding her hand a feeling of safety washes over her. From the side of her vision she can see Shego smiling at her. She returns it.

Behind them, several streets back, a horde of zombies lurch and stumble toward them.


	10. Chapter 9

**Welcome to the Hive…**

The rain pours down harder and harder forcing the group to take refuge under the overhangs of the buildings as they wind their way toward their goal. Ash and James both see Kim and Shego holding hands and James nudges Ash roughly. Ash stops making Kim and Shego stop. They both give him a questioning look as he mutters something dark under his breath as his good hand rummages through his pockets. He pulls out a wad of money and hands it over to James's waiting hand.

" _Pleasure_ doin' business with ya," he says.

Ash grumbles under his breath and starts walking again. Shego lets go of Kim's hand and walks up to the richer guard.

"What was that all about?"

"The end of a _very_ successful business transaction," he replies happily, counting five one hundred dollar bills and places it in a cargo pouch.

Shego opens her mouth to admonish the guard but she cannot think of the proper words. James walks on a brisk pace to catch up to Ash who is still grumbling. "What happened, Shego?"

"I think they were placing _bets_ on us!"

"Bets? On what?"

"Later, pumpkin. Let's catch up before the zombies behind us do."

Shego holds out her hand expectantly. Kim blushes a little but smiles as she takes it. The groans of the zombies behind them are drowned out by the thunder overhead as Kim and Shego rush to catch up to James and Ash.

They trudge through the clogged up streets and sidewalks at a slow pace thanks to the rain and debris but they take some consolation in the fact that they are still faster than the zombies relentlessly pursuing them. They keep a sharp eye out for Tyrants or worse. The group travels close together and in silence for the most part. The slightest noise alerts the zombies that have not detected them yet and with their ammo getting low they had all agreed to keep the fighting to a minimum.

James stops as his HUD gives him an energy reading that spikes through the roof.

He blinks and the energy spike disappears. "Must have been a glitch," he whispers back.

He stares past the buildings directly in front of them focusing instead on the ones in the distance. "There," he points.

"Where?"

"Damnit, boss, I'm pointin' directly at it! We're leavin' the commercial district of Raccoon City an' enterin' the Industrial district. One of my maps shows a secret exit from the Hive in an abandoned factory up ahead."

He calls up the map to his HUD and projects the digital image so the others can see it. Beams shoot out of his eye coverings, creating a 3D hologram of a dilapidated, crumbling building. A glowing dot appears at the entrance.

"We'll enter _here_ ," he says pointing at the glowing dot.

The dot moves into the building as the image zooms inside showing various rooms, stairs and elevators. "The power's out so the elevators are a no-go. We take the stairs here, here and here. That will lead us to this room."

The image zooms in again revealing a large room with no other exits other than the stairs. "I don't see anything," Ash says squinting at the image.

"Give it a moment to finish zoomin' in."

The floor appears in sections. The glowing dot moves to the north wall as the image zooms in there. The dot rests on an old power switch. "Flip that switch," James says.

The floor gives way revealing a long tunnel that goes straight down. "That should be an emergency elevator that's operational since the Hive is back online. We'll take that directly to the Hive."

"Sounds good," Shego says as the image disappears, "But what will we be up against?"

James sighs. "I'd imagine everything that we've seen so far: zombies, Tyrants, big-ugly nasties with eyes on their shoulders shootin' plasma an' the like."

" _Plasma_ ," Kim asks, her voice full of concern.

"Yeah," Shego snorts, "When they took my powers, they put it in one of their test subjects. We fought off one where I was at."

"You killed it," James corrects.

"Yeah, with my _powers_ ," she spits back, "Which I don't _have_ anymore!"

"Anyway," James continues, "Everyone will need to stay on their toes for this one. Like I said yesterday, this whole thing smells fishy to me. The only way to get the power back on is from inside the facility. That means someone or _something_ is there to do it. I can't imagine anyone trying to control these things but if they are…"

He lets the sentence die as the implications are obvious to everyone. "Oh, one more thing," James says.

"What is it," Kim asks.

"The government will find out about this if they haven't already. Their response will be probably brutal, total and final. We're on a timetable here people, and that time's runnin' out. But hey, no pressure, right?"

"Stop smiling behind that helmet," Shego commands.

"Yes, boss…" he says dejectedly.

"Where do we go once we're in the Hive?"

"Not quite sure, boss. I'll highlight the most likely research areas on the map. Gimme a sec."

A sprawling labyrinth of a map appears before them. Entire collections of rooms are highlighted but each section is on the opposite side of the facility from the other. "Here's where the problems come in."

Hallways highlight and specific rooms glow red. "These are security checkpoints. Traps. I've seen a demonstration, their damn lethal. We'll encounter 'em here and here."

A glowing dot moves into the two sections he indicates. "Is there a way around them?"

"Checkin', Red. There are ventilation shafts over this one but not the other. I know for a fact I'm too big to fit through that shit, so I'm a no-go there. Don't forget: if the Hive appears abandoned it probably isn't. There's _something_ happening down there, and probably a lot more than just a something."

"I don't wanna hear anything about us splittin' up into groups," Ash states flatly, "We need to stick together or we're dead."

"I agree," Kim says.

"So do I," James adds.

" _Doy_ ," Shego says simply.

"Wow… I'm impressed," Ash says in an incredulous tone, "Usually someone comes up with that _bullshit_ idea an' everyone else is stupid enough to follow along."

"They get what they deserve, don't they," Shego asks.

He nods.

James kills the image of the Hive. "I'll take point once we enter the Hive. It's too bad we couldn't find any more ammo though. Maybe one of the armories is still stocked inside."

"We'll find out when we get there," Kim says with confidence, "I'm _so_ ready to get this over with!"

"Me too, pumpkin."

"Same here," Ash adds.

"You know, despite the horrible pain and indescribable agony I'm havin' fun here," James exclaims.

The trio looks at him. He throws his arms out and shrugs his shoulders. " _What_? Guard duty is _borin'_!"

"Let's get going," Shego growls as she hears the moans from the zombie hordes behind them getting closer.

* * *

The foursome continues through the rain, dodging zombie when they can and using Kim's blade and Shego's claws when they cannot. The transition between corporate high-rises and industrial factories is not seamless, but abrupt. The Industrial District of Raccoon City is dirty, rundown and rusting in most places. Over the years as manufacturing and industrial processes became more efficient the old industrial plants relocated to better buildings or better locations elsewhere. The old buildings lie abandoned and rotting from the inside, ghosts from a former time of prosperity.

But those ghosts are _not_ alone.

They encounter the occasional zombie wandering listlessly through the abandoned parks, but they are easily avoided. James raises a hand in alarm that stop the group.

"What is it?" Ash asks as he pulls out his reloaded Boomstick.

"Movement."

"Where?"

He points up toward the roof of a rusting warehouse. Ash, Kim and Shego follow where he is pointing and strain to see through the driving rain.

"I don't see anything," Kim says.

"I don't either," Shego says.

"It's there," James growls, "It's not reading on my thermals, but its glowin' like a Christmas tree under my ultra-violet. I ain't seen nothin' like it before!"

"A new experiment from Umbrella?"

He shrugs, "Could be, boss. Not sure. Its movements are fluid and sure, not jerky like the zombies. It's decked out in some kinda armor…"

He jumps back, pressing the others back behind the side of the building. "What's wrong _now_ , Shellhead?"

"I think we've been spotted."

He unhooks his weapon from its tether and it swivels into his waiting hand. He steps out from behind the building, prepared to fire. His visor spends less than a second going through the various spectrums built into it. His thumb moves away from the trigger.

"Whatever it was, it's gone."

 _I still feel like I'm being watched_ , Kim thinks to herself, _how many 'experiments' is Umbrella conducting anyway?_

"Not so hard, Kim." Shego hisses at her.

"Oh! Sorry," Kim says sheepishly, realizing she was squeezing Shego's hand harder and harder.

Shego draws the M1911 as James starts walking to the next objective. Ash follows him with his Boomstick cocked and loaded. Kim is next with Shego covering the rear with her pistol. Lightning flashes across the sky, followed by the rumble of thunder. James smacks the side of his helmet as each flash causes his HUD to flicker with static. Kim, Shego and Ash shiver from the downpour as the rain turns bone-numbingly cold. They hurry across the open space between the rusting warehouse and the next building, a shutdown refinery.

James adjusts the audio filters on his helmet through his HUD. The thunder disappears as does the annoying patter of the rain. The heartbeats of his companions are next. He stops just before reaching the refinery. He scans the dark sky above going through spectrum after spectrum. Out of the corner of his eye visor he sees Shego talking at him but he does not hear her. He holds a hand out to silence her, which she does but she is obviously not happy about it.

The hairs on the back of his neck have been on end ever since the energy spike. _Something's very wrong here. I'm getting' no movement. Where are all the zombies? This place should be crawlin' with 'em!_

" _Hello_? Can you hear me," Shego shout at the guard in barely restrained rage.

"It's not like him to ignore you," Kim comments as she scans the sky, mimicking James.

Like the guard, the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight up, warning her of… _something_ … _but what?_

"I've got a _bad_ feeling about this," Ash says.

Something on the roof of the building catches Kim's attention. _Did something move or is it a trick of the rain?_

"Put your weapons away," James commands in a low voice.

" _What_? Are you _crazy_?"

"No, boss, I'm not. Put 'em away."

He slings his gun to his back. The rest stare at him incredulously for a moment before Ash does the same. Kim sheathes her blade next. "What's going on, Shellhead?"

"Shego," he says in an eerily calm and quiet voice, "Do as I say."

She curses under her breath but does as he asks.

James takes a tentative step forward, and then more measured steps. "Quit lookin' up," he hisses at his companions, "an' follow me!"

"Shego," Kim says, her voice quivering with dread, "We're not alone here!"

"Close ranks," James orders, "Everyone stick close to me. Red, you're right: we're not alone, we're bein' watched by… somethin'. Don't make any sudden moves an' keep your pace slow an' steady. Ash, come up on my left. Shego, Kim, get in between us an' stay there."

The trio follows his order to the letter as they walk past the refinery. The rain continues to pour as they walk across an open stretch of ground between the refinery and the next set of buildings. They walk slowly past discarded metal fixtures and huge rusted pipes. A rotting arm protrudes from the grass, unmoving. Over to the left is a torso of a woman, minus the arms and legs, propped up against one of the metal fixtures. Kim puts a hand to her mouth to keep from retching once the stench hits her. As they walk they find more discarded body parts strewn throughout the overgrown grass. Shego uses every ounce of will to keep the bile from rising any higher in her throat. Ash, strangely, seems outwardly unaffected from the sight, but deep down he feels a deep sadness at what had transpired here. James notices the carnage but his military discipline lends him an edge of focus that is lost to the others.

"Keep _movin'_ ," he commands as he notices their pace beginning to slow.

Body parts begin to collect in piles the further they move into the open area of grass. The nerves of the companions are on edge as the stench increases in potency. Kim and Shego force themselves to hold their breaths for large stretches of time as they walk.

It doesn't help.

Finally they reach the other side. Their main objective is a massive crumbling structure that looms before them, its massive dock doors wide open. Every window is either broken or the glass is missing. The building used to have four gigantic smoke stacks but only two remain intact, the top of the third had broken off and there is no sign of the fourth. Fully intact bodies and lesser remains litter the ground leading up to the docks.

"These are zombie carcasses," Ash comments as he surveys the area.

"Yeah, somethin' else killed 'em," James says darkly.

"There could be more survivors," Kim offers, "We can't be the only ones fighting back."

"True," James muses, "There's bound to be others."

"WHAT IS _THAT?"_

Kim points at a licker that had been cut in half at the waist.

"That's one of the monsters we fought while we were underground. They don't have eyes, they make this hideous clicking noise when they move, and their tongues are lethal," Shego explains.

Kim stares at the top half of the carcass in new horror. "But…where's the bottom half?"

"Who _cares_ , it's dead," James says kicking the body stiffly.

"You sound disappointed," Shego says in disgust.

"Aw, you _do_ care! Don't worry boss, I'll get over it."

They enter through the docks. A massive pile of bodies are _placed_ in the center of the loading bay. Most of the bodies are the remains of zombies but a few Lickers are in the mix.

"What could do this? A Tyrant?"

"Dunno, Ash. Somethin' _big_ went down here an' not too long ago, look there."

He points to the far wall, indicating the massive scorch mark across it as well as impact cracks in the wall that could have only come from the inside. Shego and James look at each other, her eyes wide in horror.

"Not _another_ one!"

"I fucking _hope_ not!"

"Another what?"

Shego turns to Kim. "When Umbrella took my powers they somehow transferred it to a stronger monster. I…I was conscious when they took my powers. I remember the scientist with the scar saying something about a G-virus subject or something like it before I passed out from the pain."

"Shego," Kim starts but is cut off with a slashing motion of Shego's hand.

" _No_ , Kim. I don't need your pity right now, I need your A-game, got it?"

"S-sure," she demurs.

"That doesn't ring any bells on my end," James says shaking his head, "My job was protectin' and testin' hardware not guardin' those 'let's play fuckin' god' experiments. Sorry I can't give ya any more Intel."

"Just do your goddamn job, Shellhead," she mutters darkly.

"Yes, Ma'am."

Suddenly, a few bodies on the top of the pile move, making the group jump back in shock. A zombie's head lands, rolls on the cracked floor, and stops at Shego's feet. She punts it in disgust back into the pile of dead bodies. James, Ash and Kim draw their weapons in reaction to the movement. They stare at the pile in horror as the pile begins to move. Dismembered body parts fall, followed by mostly-intact bodies.

"Movement," the guard warns as he charges up the Gatling gun.

"No shit," Shego and Ash say in unison as they back away.

"No," he yells in frustration and points outside, "from out _there_!"

More bodies fall as the heap disperses revealing not one, but _two_ Tyrants, only bigger, with elongated thick claws, over-muscled arms and torsos, and a huge open eye on their arm! The monsters shrug off the last of the bodies and flex their claws, ready to rend the living limb from limb!

Kim assumes a defensive position, angling her blade to protect her front. Shego draws her gun, snorting at the futility of the tiny weapon. Ash cocks his Boomstick thinking similar thoughts like Shego. Under his helmet James is _not_ smiling anymore. He is not paying attention to the horrors in front of him, but to his sensors as they go haywire! Power readings go impossibly off the scales and his proximity sensors warn him of movement all around their immediate area. _That's not fucking **possible**_ , his mind rages at the readouts.

Then his sensors pick up movement and a transmission from outside and a glimpse of a transparent, large, humanoid shape. It takes the soldier less than a second to recognize a fellow warrior… _no_ … _a hunter! That armor is glowin' like a damn Christmas tree! Yeah, I see you, mother-fucka!_ Now he smiles under his helmet as translation of the transmission appear in his HUD. He gets the gist of it. _A demonstration? Certainly!_

The mutated Tyrants close in as the group retreats back to the open docks. James waits until Shego and Kim and Ash step clear of him then he presses the trigger.

The interior of the crumbling building lights up as his weapon unleashes beams of destructive force. The Tyrants take the brunt of the fire as the remains behind them burst into flames. One Tyrant is consumed by fire but the other raised its claws up in time to deflect most of the attack. Deflecting the attack only added on to the trouble for the other Tyrant as the beams are deflected toward it.

James lets go of the trigger as one Tyrant falls, a burning, unmoving inferno. The other lowers its claws in anticipation for another attack. James flips his gun to his back and holds out a gauntleted hand to Kim. "Can I borrow your blade fer a minute?"

She unsheathes it and hands it to him as the mutated Tyrant takes a step forward.

"Thanks, Red."

He tests the weight and balance as the Tyrant comes at him, claws extended. He runs toward it, letting the tip of the blade scrape on the ground, creating sparks. The monster lashes out with its claws. The guard ducks under the attack bring the blade up in one swift, powerful stroke. The Tyrant staggers and lurches forward one step.

The head of the monster falls to the ground followed by the rest of the body a second later.

James returns to Kim who is staring wide-eyed. The tip of the blade is white hot. "You may want to give it a few minutes to cool down," he says as he flips the blade in his hand, presenting the hilt to her.

"O-Ok," she mumbles in disbelief as she takes it.

"How did you do that," Shego asks her in the same look and tone.

"The armor's exo-skeleton boosts my strength," James answers then turns to face the group, "All right people, we've reached our first objective. We're on top of the Hive."

He fires up the map of the building. "Everyone remember where we need to go? We're headin' to these stairs here," he says indicating the stairs with a glowing dot, "And the other stairs are here and here. Once we reach the room the power switch is located here on the wall. Got that?"

Everyone nods.

"Good. Let's go."

Everyone heads out in the direction of the stairs except for James who stares outside. It takes him a moment to see it and he smiles inside his helmet when he does. The transparent figure nods and turns away.

"Hey! You _coming_ , Shellhead?"

Her voice brings him back from his reverie, "Huh? Yeah, I'm comin'."

Shego falls into step next to him. "You saw something out there. What was it?"

"You know what, you're pretty smart, boss."

"Don't get coy with me, asshole! You were distracted and I want to know why. What's out there?"

"Competition."

"What the fuck's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"I'm not the only one havin' fun here."

"You are _seriously_ fucked up, you know that right?"

"Boss, you're right. I _am_ fucked up, but that's beside the point. We got a job to do an' I already gave you my word that I'll help you. I'm _damn_ good at this, probably the only thing I was ever good at. I like simple jobs like this one; there's no gray area, no moral dilemmas or ethical questions to worry about. KISS principle: _Keep. It. Simple. Stupid._ Survive, get into the Hive, find the cure, and get out alive. I'm with ya, boss. Plus, if we do this and live, _you_ _get the girl!_ "

She stops and turns with a warning claw, "Shellhead…"

He raises his hands in surrender.

"Stop _laughing_ inside there," she growls.

"Yes, boss."

Ash and Kim wait for Shego and the guard to catch up. "About time," Ash exclaims.

"What's the problem," Shego asks angrily.

"This place," he answers as he points to a collapsed hallway, "It's fallin' apart!"

"No problem," James says as he swings his gun out and fires.

Ash and Kim leap out of the way as his weapon disintegrates the rubble.

" _No! Don't,_ " they scream together.

" _What_ ," he asks as the weapon powers down.

"You could bring this whole place down around us for starters," Ash says.

"The entire support structure is failing," Kim adds, "It's a _miracle_ that this building hasn't _collapsed_ already!"

To reinforce her point the floor cracks and shudders around them. Large sections of flooring disappear as it falls.

"Uh, right, got it. Puttin' ma toys away now."

Ash has to fight to keep his balance as the floor splits precariously underneath him. Shego faces the same circumstance as the floor cracks open between her legs. Kim is able to steady herself and lightly steps across the floor to help Shego and Ash. James must be lucky the floor underneath him remains stable.

" _No one move_ ," Kim commands as the building stops shuddering.

They do as she says. The way to the first set of stairs is open thanks to James's rash act but the floor of the hallway is almost entirely gone and the level below them can be seen clearly by everybody. Kim takes a light step away from Shego and Ash facing the hallway. She takes another step then Shego grabs her arm.

"Kim, what are you doing?"

"I'm gonna try and make it across," she answers, "I'm the lightest here so I have the best chance."

Shego lets go reluctantly, "Be _careful_ , Kimmie."

Kim un-slings her backpacks and blade and hands them over to Shego. She takes two quick steps then bolts for the end of the hallway. She leaps forward, landing on her hands as she somersaults over the first hole and backflips end over end through the air. She lands on her feet perfectly but the edge of her heels are precariously close to another hole and the sudden weight causes the hole to widen. She leaps before the floor collapses underneath her. Her mind brings forth images of cheerleading practice and the routines appropriate to this obstacle course. She cannot help but grin in triumph as her feet land solidly at the end of the hallway.

"I made it," she exclaims as she turns around, grinning.

Her grin falls with the rest of the hallway.

"Son of a…."

Kim lets the sentence die where it stands.

Ash and Shego stare in abject disbelief. James shrugs, "Oh well, it's not like I would've made it across anyway."

"What the _hell_ do we do now," Ash asks in frustration, throwing his arms up in the air.

"I don't know about _you_ , but _I'm_ about to do something _really_ stupid," Shego says as she throws the backpacks across the empty space.

 _She still has most of her strength_ , Kim muses as she catches the backpacks with an audible ' _oof!'_. Her chest actually _hurts_ from the impact! Shego throws Kim her sheathed blade after Kim drops the backpacks. Ash looks at her quizzically, "What do you mean?"

Shego takes several steps backwards, her eyes never leaving Kim. Her answer is short and to the point.

" _This_."

She breaks for it at a dead run, picking up as much speed as her powerfully muscled legs can. Ash and James both yell her name when they realize what she is doing but she pays them any mind, her focus is solely on _Kim_. Her mind is clear and calm. At the last possible second she leaps with all of her strength, roaring as she does so.  
Shego takes to the air as her perception of time slows down to a crawl. She judged her trajectory perfectly, now if only she would move _out_ faster before gravity starts pulling down!

Shego's hand slams into Kim's waiting hand as she hangs above forty foot drop to the next floor. She made it… _barely_.

"Crazy bitch," James exclaims appreciatively, shaking his head.

" _I heard that_!" She yells back as Kim pulls her up.

"That's just _great_ ," Ash exclaims angrily, "What about me and James, _huh_?"

"Find another way in," Shego yells as she reluctantly gets off of Kim, "Go back outside, come around to _this_ side of the building and see if there's a way in. If there isn't, make one. Just don't bring the entire building down on our heads!"

"Got it, boss!"

"Wait a minute! Hold it," Ash yells.

"What," both James and Shego ask.

" _You_ did it! _You_ split up the goddamn group!"

"Huh, yeah, I guess I did. Sorry about that."

"Don't go runnin' off into the Hive without us," James warns, "Give us some time to get to your position!"

"No worries there, Shellhead!"

"And conserve your ammo," James adds, "Somethin' is messin' with my sensors so I can't tell ya what's down there!"

"We'll be careful," Kim says.

"Will you two hurry up," Shego yells impatiently.

"On our way, boss! C'mon Ash," he says as he grabs Ash's shoulder and heads back to the docks.

Ash wants to protest but sighs in resignation and worry. "Look at the bright side," James says to him, patting him on his back, "It's our turn to team-up for a while!"

* * *

Kim and Shego watch them depart then Kim turns to her. "Maybe we should start down and find a spot to wait for them."

"Sounds good to me, pumpkin, I'm right behind you."

They walk slowly down the first stairway, testing it for structural integrity. The stairs wind down three flights, the concrete cracked in many places.

"How much ammo do you have?"

"Two full clips plus whatever's in the pistol. I hope it's enough."

"Me too."

They reach the bottom of the stairwell, the floor is dimly lit from the collapsed floor above. Several bodies lie on the ground, mostly zombies and a few lickers, twisted into unnatural shapes or cut in two.

"What the _hell_ did this," Shego breathes as she looks over the carnage.

Kim stifles a panic attack as the hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stand on end. She shudders for a moment before calming down.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

She takes in several deep breaths to calm down. "N-nothing. I got a creepy feeling, that's all."

Shego's eyes dart to the dark, shadowy places that could hide death with slavering jaws and bloody claws. "Don't ignore your intuition," she admonishes, "stay alert!"

"No prob there!"

_Click-click…Click-click._

" _Shit!"_

Shego draws her pistol while Kim draws her blade as they stop dead in their tracks. "What's that noise?"

"Trouble, pumpkin."

 _Click-click-click…_ This time further away. A long, deep, exhale echoes across the floor. _Then there's two!_

Shego moves to Kim's back, her gun pointing at the stairwell. "Where's your pistol?"

"I think I left it on the street a while back when I ran to Ash when he was fighting that Tyrant."

"Damn!"

 _Click-click-click-click._ Closer. The exhale noise is long and drawn out. Kim's survival instinct kicks into high gear, but she wills her feet to stay rooted in place. Shadows moves, keeping to the dark corners. She raises her blade in front of her as she spies more movement from the opposite corner.

"In front," Kim whispers, "Two of them, coming this way."

Shego does not reply but she turns around and steps over to be next to Kim. Her eyes scan the darkness and she spots a subtle shift of movement as her eyes adjust to the dim lighting.

She fires.

The flash illuminates the area for a brief second. Kim stares in horror as she catches a glimpse of the monstrosity stalking towards them. It has no eyes, an elongated mouth with horribly overgrown fangs for teeth and a long, slavering tongue trailing lazily behind its muscled, glistening body. Shego misses, but the flash and sharp noise spooks the creature into action as it leaps, roaring with claws extended.

Kim dives to her right while Shego dives the other way as the licker slams into the ground. They roll onto their feet as the Licker turns towards Shego and lashes out with its whip-like tongue. The tongue strikes her hand, sending the pistol flying into the darkness. Kim slashes down with her blade but the monster is impossibly fast and she strikes concrete for her efforts. Its back leg shoots out hitting Kim square in the chest, sending her flying into the wall, _hard_! The impact forces all of the air out of her lungs in a single bursting exhale, then she falls to the floor in a heap.

" _KIM_!"

Shego does something she had never thought she would do: she screams in rage as she leaps at the monster that hurt _her_ Kimmie! The licker deftly jumps away from the attack lashing out with its tongue at Shego. She is ready for it and in a strike as quick as the monster's she slashes the offending appendage clean off with her claws. The licker howls in pain as it backs away, wounded. _Oh, no, you're not getting away from me!_ She extends her arms, letting her claws dangle in front of her face as she squares off against the monster.

Kim fights through the pain exploding in her chest with every ragged breath. Dizziness is a precursor to unconsciousness and she fights against that as she struggles to stand but all she can get is on her knees. Fighting through her double, no _triple_ -vision she reaches for her sword as a low growl reverberates behind her. A wave of hot, fetid breath hits her head from behind, causing her hair to move…

The licker facing Shego screeches in anger as they circle one another. The monster's movements are cat-like and fluid, deadly beyond measure. But it had already tasted the bite of Shego's claws and the monster did not relish another bite from her weapons. Predator circles predator, each searching for an edge over the other. Shego constantly changes the position of her clawed gloves in order to keep the monster guessing. The licker lashes out, swiping one clawed arm in a wide arc at Shego. She ducks under the attack and slashes but the monster twists out of the way at the last second. Then it attacks with its back feet as it swirls around, her claws spark as mutated claw meets the Nano-molecular metal. The strength of its attack forces her back a step but her gloves are up defensively, ready for the next assault. The licker leaps and screams; all four appendages poised to skewer the dinner that _dares_ to fight back!

Rather than back away Shego steps into the attack, moving quick to get inside the monster's reach before its claws clamp down and end the struggle once and for all. A clawed glove grasps the creature by the throat as her other arm catches its right arm. The monster is _very_ heavy and its other clawed arm struggles to grasp Shego's hand holding it fast. Its maw snaps and bites, bathing her in its ghastly breath. She thrusts forward and down, slamming the creature onto the concrete floor! Shego is on her feet in an instant, slamming her boot down on the creature's throat as it claws and strains at her. Her scowl is pure malice and evil as she applies a quick jolt of crushing force through her boot.

The scowl does not disappear as the satisfying _CRACK_ issues from the licker's neck and its struggles cease. Behind her an ear-splitting scream pierces the air. She turns in horror, her heart shriveling into dust as she recognizes the voice.

The body of another licker straddles Kim's body, its head pierced clean through by her blade.

She runs over and throws the carcass off of Kim. Her eyes are glazed over in a state of shock; her breathing is short, sharp, painful gasps.

"KIM! You're ok!"

Shego gently takes her into her arms as Kim stiffens in pain and cries out. Shego lays her back down quickly and carefully. "Sorry, Kimmie! I didn't mean to hurt you! Where does it hurt?"

" _Chest…ribs_ …," she forces through clenched teeth and clamped shut eyes.

"Anything broken?" _Oh god, no! Shego, look at what you've done!_

"D-don't…think…so. Hard to…breathe!"

"Quit talking," Shego says, her voice rising to a panic. She throws her gloves off and begins fumbling with the prison guard shirt, trying to unbutton it.

"Wh-what are…you…doing?"

"Didn't I say _shut up_? I need to see how bad it is!"

Frustrated at her lack of progress, Shego rips the shirt open. The beginning of a deep bruise is forming on her stomach. Tentatively, gingerly she touches the sides of Kim's ribcage. Kim's body spasms and she cries out in pain.

"Sorry," she says, tears welling up in her eyes.

"N…no…big!"

"I-I can't tell if anything's broken, maybe a rib is fractured."

"Better…than…broken."

"Kimmie, _please_ ," she yells at her furiously blinking away tears, " _Shut up!_ "

"Yes…Ma'am."

Shego quickly finishes her preliminary examination as Kim remains silent. She ties the shirt to protect her hero's modesty even though she is wearing the appropriate undergarments. "Okay, Kimberly," Shego says, "You're gonna have to get up now. We can't stay here."

"'Kay. Help…me up."

She extends her arms to Shego who grabs them and helps her up as gently as she can. Kim grunts in obvious pain and leans into Shego for support.

"B-Backpack."

"What am I looking for?"

"Pain… killers."

Shego rummages through the bandages and other medical supplies until she finds the bottle that Kim indicated. She opens it and gives Kim two pills. She gulps them down. Shego leads Kim to the wall and leans her against it. She dives back into the backpack and grabs a handful of bandages and antiseptic.

"I'm gonna have to bandage you up. I'll be as gentle as I can."

Kim takes another ragged breath and nods. Shego applies the antiseptic to the bandages as Kim lifts her shirt. Shego applies the bandages around her stomach, flinching when Kim does. She puts the rest of the bandages back into the backpack after she finishes. She turns to Kim.

"Stay right here, I'll get our weapons."

Kim nods. Shego walks over to the skewered licker carcass and pulls the blade from its head, lashing out with the blade to clean most of the gore from it. It takes her a while longer to grope through the darkness to find her pistol but she finds it and returns to Kim. Kim did exactly what Shego told her to do, leaning against the wall in a pain-filled daze.

"I got everything, princess. You don't mind if I carry your sword for a while, do you?"

She nods, indicating that it is okay. Shego sheathes the sword and puts the scabbard on her belt. She bends down, picks up her gloves and puts them back on. Kim groans as she spasms through a fit of silent laughter.

"Hey! Stop that! What's so funny anyway?"

"N-nothing really. Y-your pet names for…me."

"Huh?"

"It used to…piss me off… _royally_! I…I like them now."

Shego blushes in spite of herself. "Um," she says but cannot finish as she is at a loss for words.

"D-don't stop on…my account. I'll be your little…princess…or pumpkin…or what…ever…else you…want me to…be."

Shego is silent as her heart swells. _C'mon! Say something, girl!_ "Um, d-do you h-have a preference?"

"Not.. Really. I like 'em…both. I like it when you…use my full…name…too."

"What? I didn't!"

"Yes…you did!"

Shego cocks her head, "I-I did?"

"Yep!

_Gotta watch my mouth now, great!_

"Sorry about that, pumpkin."

"D-don't...be! Coming from you…it makes me feel… _wanted_."

 _Feeling's mutual, Kimmie. Go on mouth, say those words._ "W-we need to get going," Shego stammers, "C'mere, pumpkin. We'll take it slow."

Kim grunts in pain as Shego stoops down under Kim's arm and holds her side, fully aware of how gentle she needs to be.

"T-thank you…Shego"

"Don't mention it."

They hobble and stumble in silence, both straining as they listen for more clicking noises or worse. They make their way through the darkness toward their next objective both wondering just what Ash and James are dealing with.


	11. Chapter 10

**Unexpected Allies**

Ash and James exit the building and enter a warzone! Zombies, lickers, hulking brutes with impossibly large eyes on their misshapen shoulders, and scaly, lizard-like monstrosities pour out of the surrounding buildings.

"Look who finally decided to show up," Ash declares ruefully as he pulls out his Boomstick.

"Yep," James answers as the Gatling gun unhooks from his back.

The massed army of horrors stops and turns to look at both Ash and James. The hissing, moaning and growling stops as the entire area goes quiet save for the intermittent peal of thunder in the sky and the falling rain. Ash turns to James, "See? _This_ is why you never split up the fucking group!"

Talons and claws twitch in anticipation of rending the flesh from the living. Bile drips from elongated fangs and split teeth as the entire army of horrors growl and roar. Lightning flashes above them as the monstrosities raised their arms and advance.

The Gatling gun hums to life while Ash fires. A zombie's head explodes from the Boomstick then beams of destructive energy cut down a sizeable portion of the advancing front row. Ash dives to the left while James sweeps to the right, both weapons issuing forth final death to the monstrosities.

The horde advances, zombies in the front getting cut down or trampled from behind by stronger and tougher Umbrella creations. A small squad of six Tyrants band together, using the smaller horrors as shields as they advance on James. _Right. Six of 'em. Yeah, that's fuckin' fair!_

Ash can feel the onset of the change as he fires into the horde. Under normal circumstances he would welcome the change, but circumstances are _never_ normal! He forces the urge back down. Every time he becomes Deadite Ash a piece of his soul is lost to the powers that are contained in the Necronomicon and his humanity diminishes. At this pace he would become a demon permanently and then all would be lost; the Army of Darkness would win. He could not let that happen! He squeezes off a quick succession of rounds as he searches for more weapons from his peripheral vision.

James sweeps his weapon left to right, cutting down everything in his path. He keeps a careful eye on the weapon's temperature gauge, already thinking ahead for when the thing will overheat. The downpour is an unexpected blessing, cooling off the revolving barrels faster than normal.

The Umbrella army still advances.

Both Ash and James came to the unspoken conclusion to split up and flank the monsters but they realize that the tactic was a mistake as the undead army splits off into two groups, still relentless in their advance. The guard and the Chosen One are forced to retreat or be overrun.

"Don't let them enter the building! They could topple the thing on our girls," James yells to Ash above his screaming weapon.

 _I'm runnin' out of fuckin' options!_ The darkness in his soul pleads to be let out. The voice is sweet as honey, cajoling and hypnotic. He fires and a licker's head explodes, splattering gore on the monsters around it. _Let me out. It's the only way to save your friends. Together we can defeat them, let me help you._

"FUCK," Ash curses as he fires the last round.

James steps away from the building, laying a line of suppressing fire in an effort to get the monsters to follow him and away from Kim and Shego. It works, but the group of Tyrants is getting dangerously close, slapping away the smaller monstrosities that are in their way. The guard increases his pace as he retreats, sweeping his gun back and forth to keep the advancing army at bay. He steals a quick glance behind him; an open field stretches out for fifty yards before more buildings get in the way. As he retreats the army fans out, making it easier for him to cut through them with his weapon. _That's it, c'mon! Get away from that building!_ _Follow me, assholes!_

Ash throws the empty Boomstick on the ground in disgust. "You ain't getting' past me, you ugly sons-a-bitches, ya hear me?"

He raises his gauntlet hand to the advancing horrors and motions for them to come. "Come get some!"

Mentally he lets go, unleashing the darkness that stains his soul. His eyes flash a hellish red for a brief second as he growls, a feral, animalistic sound that changes into something darker when he unleashes the powers of hell within himself. He grows; his features turn more demonic as his growl turns deeper in tone. The transformation now complete Deadite Ash roars at the sky, a challenge to the pitiful things arrayed against him.

The horde stops. The fleshy thing had been replaced with something larger and more dangerous. The zombies don't care, although they no longer regard him as a meal, they are pressed forward by the monsters behind them. One zombie ignores Ash as it attempts to walk past him. Ash grabs it and effortlessly throws it into the advancing horde. A pair of lickers leap out of the way but a line of zombies catch the undead projectile and sprawl to the ground. Larger, heavier monsters crush the unfortunate zombies as they press forward.

Deadite Ash does not wait for the advancing horde. Balling his massive hands into fists, he charges headlong into the horde…

* * *

James can hear the roar of Deadite Ash above his own weapon. _Now you're gonna get it!_ Three of the advancing Tyrants are consumed in flames from the Gatling gun and fall to the ground, unmoving. A licker leaps up onto the air from behind the remaining Tyrants, claws outstretched toward the guard as it comes down. He stops firing, bracing the weapon for the licker. He swings upward with all of his augmented strength, slamming the smoking barrels into the licker's face, shattering teeth and splitting its jaw open in three different places. The licker lands in a heap, dazed. He jumps backward as a trio of Tyrant fists crash down where he was just standing. The gun angles down and he presses the trigger, firing into the Tyrants at point-blank range. The head of one Tyrant disappears completely. James continues to back away engulfing the other two Tyrants from the destructive power of his weapon.

* * *

Ash roars in rage as he rips clawed arms off of anything and everything in front of him. A massive brute with a huge blinking eyeball on its shoulder sends a fist crashing into Ash's face, knocking him back several feet. Ash grips the next fist that comes his way. He twists hard, relishing in the abomination's scream of pain and agony, then proceeds to tear the offending limb off of the monster. He uses the appendage like a lance, piercing three lickers through their chest with one thrust. Zombies tear and claw at him now, but he pays them no attention, focusing on the faster lickers and the hulking brutes that enrage both the human part of him and the part that has been resigned to hell, but for different reasons. To human Ash they are monsters of the worst sort, once human they were changed through scientific means with the help of the Necronomicon. To the hell part of him they are a direct challenge to the supremacy of hell itself and to make matters worse the same power that fuels that loathsome dimension was used and _perverted_ in their design. Hell would not allow this affront to stand. For once, both human Ash and the dark part of him claimed by hell were in agreement: they would not let them take another step forward.

_They will die, and hell will use every power at its disposal to ensure victory. We are in agreement, Ash. You are now the emissary of hell's true power. We will fight together._

_Now the fight can_ truly _begin!_

The horde presses on him, trying to force Ash to the ground with gnashing fangs and slashing claws. The full powers of hell are realized as his eyes glow a sickly red with unearthly power. He roars in pain as he transforms, becoming bigger, stronger and more demon-like. Large bat-like wings burst forth from his back, and his fingernails grow into long, wicked claws that drip black bile that hisses as it touches the ground.

A deep bellow from hell itself issues from Ash's mouth as he shrugs the monsters off of him. Even though the rain comes down in a torrent the ground around Ash starts to smolder and smoke, patches of grass wither and die as the ground turns a charred black. Hell's emissary now towers over the horde, his chest heaving, the breath forcing itself out of his lung white-hot, like a furnace. His eyes glow dark red with power.

* * *

James's HUD goes haywire as the energy readings go off the scale! Reacting quickly he shuts off most of his sensors to keep from being disoriented. The temperature sensor on his weapon beeps in warning so he uses it like a battering ram, knocking down the monsters that get too close. _Time to go melee_ , he thinks to himself as he flips the gun to his back. His arm pulls out his wicked machete as he continues his retreat. _Last one_ , he thinks ruefully, _I'll have to make it count!_

He slashes out, scoring a wicked hit on a licker's face. He swings against out in a wide arc and a dozen hands fall off of zombie arms. He allows the zombies to get in close as they are not strong enough to bite through his armor. Two zombies latch on to him, one on each shoulder. Instead of shrugging them off he uses them as shields, twisting this way and that so that the zombies absorb the attacks meant for him instead. There are more than enough willing zombies to take the place of the ones that fall off. This tactic allows him to conserve much needed energy as he wades through the mass of monsters with his blade.

The lickers and brutes are a different problem.

He has to compensate for the weight of the armor and this makes him slower than the lickers. His armor holds up to their claws but not for much longer. So far he does not curse the tradeoff, but eventually their attacks will break through the protection of his armor and then he will be in a world of hurt. He slashes out but the licker ducks under the attack and sends out its tongue to his face. He turns to the side just in time for its tongue to sever a zombie's head instead. The carcass falls off of his back as he spins around with the machete out, keeping the monsters at bay. A heavy weight suddenly appears at his back making him fall forward on to his knees. He hears the screech of the licker at his back and can feel the impact of its claws against his armor. He gropes with a gauntleted hand blindly, somehow grabbing the monster underneath its jaw. He grunts and heaves, flinging the licker into a brute in front of him. The monster catches it by the neck, crushes it and drops it while James struggles back to his feet.

His helmet moves from side to side. James sighs.

He is surrounded by brutes.

A ring of lickers surround the brutes.

A pair of Tyrants converge from the outer ring, one from the left the other from the right.

He brandishes the machete in front of him menacingly. _This is not good!_

Everything advances one step…

* * *

Demon Ash takes a step forward. The nearest zombies to him burst into flames from the heat emanating from his body. A trio of lickers leaps at him simultaneously, bellowing with maws open.

He lets them come.

They burst into flames before they reach him.

Demon Ash takes another step toward the horde; a low growl escapes his lips, an obscenity from hell itself. The ground blackens where he steps, grass bursting into flame. A massive brute with elongated arms shoves the lesser monsters aside and rushes at him. The monster's powerful hands wrap abound Ash's torso, its skin cracks and shrivels when it comes in contact with him. The monster pulls Ash toward it; the other monsters converge around him. Calmly, deliberately, Ash grabs the thing's hand and twists it. The monster screams in pain and lets go. Zombies, lickers, and even a brute bursts into flames from their close proximity to him.

A roar unlike any heard on the planet before the time of Man issues from Ash's lips. The roar changes to words, the Vile Speech, charged with the power of hell. The aura of heat disappears around him as his arms lash out. He grabs a Tyrant by the neck and pulls it toward him. The other gauntleted hand smashes a brute's skull. The Tyrant struggles mightily but the strength of Demon Ash is too great. Now face to face Ash lets go of the Tyrant. The Tyrant raises a fist, telegraphing its attack but Ash is quicker. He jabs a finger into the side of the creature's head. Black veins travel from his finger and into the head of the Tyrant. The veins carve their way through the creature's form as the Tyrant lowers its fist.

Ash turns to face another brute, lashing out with claws, ignoring the Tyrant completely. The Tyrant turns and starts attacking the monsters around it, compelled to obey the orders given to it by hell! Ash wades into the army of horrors with fist and claw, growling unearthly obscenities as the horrors fall at his touch…

Ash's transformation is a fortunate turn of events for the besieged guard. Most of the horrors arrayed against him had turned, moving off to engage the new threat. Several brutes, one Tyrant, and a score of lickers circle around the guard. James feints, lunging at two lickers. They leap away giving him a small opening to tumble through as the Tyrant's fists crashes down where he once stood. He rolls up to his feet thrusting out with his machete, skewering a brute through its face in front of him. He grunts as he twists the blade for maximum damage and kicks the brute in the chest. The blade slides out and he turns to face the remaining monsters.

A tongue from a licker wraps itself around his leg and jerks back, attempting to knock him off of his feet. He swipes down, severing the tongue, the licker falls on to its back from its own strength. Another claws at him scoring a hit across his shoulder, a small piece of his shoulder guard is sheared off from the attack. The licker slashes again but he blocks it with the machete. He steps back and then moves several steps to his left, blocking the flurry of attacks from the licker. Its focus is entirely on the guard, not on the looming shadow of the Tyrant behind it as its fist raises high in to the air. At the last second James leaps back as the Tyrant's fist crashes down, obliterating the licker in front of him.

Another licker flies past his front from the side, scoring a hit on his chest piece. His HUD flares to life giving him multiple errors. He staggers back as he reroutes power routines to keep his armor from failing completely. The moment costs him as both a Tyrant and another brute connect with their fists, sending the hapless guard flying into the ground.

He skids and bounces several times on the ground before coming to a stop. The kinetic absorbers of his armor are in overload, giving him more errors to deal with as he catches his breath. The remaining lickers do not give him the chance as the leap on top of him. His gun had come un-tethered from the impact and he reaches for it in desperation as the lickers claw at his armor. He grips it and presses the trigger. Thankfully it hums to life and he swings it around, destroying the lickers on top of him. He staggers to his feet, bringing his gun to bear on the advancing monsters. The horrors do not see it because of his helmet, but inside his look is utterly murderous as he pours on fiery death!

* * *

_Meanwhile…somewhere in the bowels of the crumbling building…_

Kim and Shego slowly make their way past open rooms toward their next objective. They travel in silence, broken up only by Kim's intermittent coughing. Shego has to use every ounce of will to keep from panicking at Kim's condition. A minute ago she spat out blood, indicating that her injuries are more severe than Shego had initially thought. Kim leans heavily on Shego for support, needing her so she can move. Shego glances at her as she breathes in short, ragged gasps, wincing through the pain.

"S-stop…Shego. I n-need…rest."

"Okay."

She leans Kim gently against a wall. Through sheer effort Kim forces her gasping to return to normal breathing. She wipes a small trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth.

"You doin' okay, princess?"

"Fine," she lies, "Just need to…catch m-my breath."

 _She can't continue like this, she'll die_ , Shego's brain screams at her, _Get her back topside and get the fuck outta here! Damn everything else!_ "I…I've changed my mind, Kimmie. We need to get out of here."

"N-no!"

Shego is taken aback at her heroine's adamant tone. "Ki….Kimmie…Y-you're h…hurt," she says through misty eyes, neglecting to add: _because of me_.

"I'm _fine_ ," she says through clenched teeth, "We've come…so far! We're not stopping n-now!"

 _My brave, strong warrior!_ _Listen to reason, Damnit!_ "Kimmie," she pleads, her voice reaching a new level of desperation, "Y-you're in a bad way, worse than what I originally thought."

"I'm good, Shego," she says evenly as she stands away from the wall, "The pain pills are finally kickin' in."

At a loss, Shego offers Kim her arm, but she shrugs the offer away. She starts to walk down the hall. Shego sighs in defeat and gloom. _She's dying, you know that don't you? She's dying and it's all your fault! What are you going to do if and when she dies in your arms?_

"Destroy the entire fucking planet," she answers herself, muttering under her breath so Kim could not hear.

"You coming?'

"Yeah."

* * *

_Back Topside…_

Ash and a trio of Tyrants under his command tear through the ever increasing horde. A gang of brutes, lickers and zombies overwhelm one Tyrant, bringing it crashing to the ground. Ash slashes out with his claws, severing the heads of two zombies and cuts a licker in two. He howls in pain as a brute rips his right wing off. He spins around, his gauntleted fist smashing into the monster that _dared_ hurt him! The brute crashes into a wall of zombies, toppling them. The aura of heat rises around Ash as his anger spikes. Claws and hands grope at him, tearing into his flesh. The black ichor that pours out of his wounds sizzle when it hits the ground. He throws his arms out wide, bellowing in rage. Brutes, Tyrants and lickers stagger back from the unnatural heat emanating from his body.

He grabs a brute by the arm with a massive eye on it. A claw pierces the eye, coating him in green ichor. The brute screams which only angers Ash further. He rips off the appendage and shoves it through the monster's open maw. He rolls with the punch from a Tyrant. He grabs it by the neck, lifting it clear off of the ground. With a snap of his wrist, the Tyrant's bald head turns sickeningly to the side. Its struggles cease and Ash drops it. He catches a licker in each hand as they jump at him; they claw at his arms in desperation.

He crushes them as they burst into flames. He lets them go as the next wave of horrors pile on him.

* * *

James sends a massive boot into the face of a zombie crawling toward him on the ground. His boot crushes its skull with a satisfying sound. He turns around, bringing his smoking Gatlin gun to bear. He fires as he turns, engulfing licker after licker. He keeps the pressure up, immolating two brutes and another Tyrant.

 _Where are they comin' from? There's too many of 'em!_ His HUD freezes and then is doused in static. Angrily, he hits the side of his helmet, giving him another sharp electric jolt, but the HUD clears. He finds himself staring out across the open field. More creations from Umbrella stagger and stumble out of the buildings across the field, forming themselves into larger and larger groups.

They start heading toward the guard.

The temperature gauge on the gun is flashing yellow, meaning it will be overheating soon. He turns back to the new approaching horde. He blinks.

A brute bursts into flames then turns to ash!

The guard blinks again in disbelief. He slaps the side of his helmet. The HUD flickers for an instant and when it clears a trio of zombies have suffered the same fate as the brute. Impossibly their forms hold for a moment as sculptures of ash before a gust of wind topples them.

_What's goin' on here?_

A mutated Tyrant lurches forward, clutching at its chest. James magnifies his optics and can barely make out a…distortion…in front of the monster. It lurches backward and turns around. James cannot believe what he sees, but somehow, someway the Tyrant's head comes clean off! The air distortion registers on his HUD and he turns on the other sensors he had turned off previously. Energy readings spike, which causes the guard to smile inside his helmet.

"'Bout time ya showed yerselves," he exclaims.

The realization hits him as he makes out three distinct air distortions among the new approaching horde. He trains his energy sensors to the distortions and they return with feedback that they are the cause of the energy spikes. He watches in fascinated awe as zombies are seemingly sliced in half from the air itself. Lickers and brutes find themselves without limbs as they writhe and twitch on the ground.

The horde's surprise quickly fades. The point is driven home as a brute's massive claws puncture through one distortion of air. Green, glowing fluids coat the ends of its claws as the distortion shifts, sputters and dies. James raises an eyebrow at the new revelation.

The skewered creature is wearing armor the likes of which James had never seen before. The armor is obviously built for attack as well as defense. A miniature rocket launcher of some kind is mounted on its shoulder. It drops a bladed staff as its body goes limp. The figure is wearing a full helm, but some kind of dreadlocks hang from its head. The brute throws the warrior to the ground, finishing the job by stomping on its chest several times.

His mind rages at the sheer craziness of the scene, but his military training takes over. _Two against who knows how many? Time to even the odds!_

The temperature gauge on his weapon is within the green range. He charges across the field, gun ablaze. He keeps his aim trained well away from the remaining air distortions. _Don't wanna anger our new allies now, do I?_

* * *

The pile of dead, charred bodies around the demon increases. The Tyrants that he thought he had destroyed earlier had risen again, mutated and stronger than before.

It is a mistake hell's emissary will _not_ repeat!

Claws from hell strike against mutated claw sounding more like steel clanging against steel. The mutated Tyrant is bigger, stronger than before, but the strength at Ash's command easily surpasses that of the monster. A licker leaps at his back, clawing and tearing into him but he pays no attention to it. The licker bursts into flames and falls off of him as he growls and pushes against the mutated Tyrant. His strength pushes the monster back and it trips on the charred remains of another Tyrant. Ash lets go as the monster falls. With a roar of rage, Ash jumps on the abomination, tearing the thing apart piece by piece. He stands as the other fallen Tyrants mutate and change before his hellish eyes. A new wing sprouts from his back as he flexes his clawed hand. In total, ten mutated Tyrants now stand against him.

The demon that is Ash smiles, his eyes flare red with the power of hell at his command! Words unuttered since the fall of angels spring from his lips as he points at one single Tyrant. It fights to keeps its balance as the ground beneath it opens up, hands of purest black burst from the fissure, grapple with the monster and pull it down into the opening. The fissure closes, leaving a dark stain where the Tyrant was.

Unconcerned, the other Tyrants move in on Ash.

More words pour forth from his mouth and he extends his hands at the monsters. As he utters the last word tendrils of fire shoot forth from his hands. The tendrils, made up of the darkest of captured souls, scream and wail as they surge around and through the Tyrants. Their screams and wails reach a fever pitch as the tendrils of fire explode leaving nothing but piles of ash for remains.

Ash draws in a deep breath and exhales forcefully; gouts of hellish flame pour out, engulfing everything in its path. The screams of the monsters in their death throes is sweet music to his ears! Still more monsters come at him…

* * *

_Back underground…_

Kim moves slowly and stiffly but under her own power. Through sheer force of will she makes her legs move and forces air into her damaged lungs. Shego, standing barely a step across from her cannot keep her increasingly worried eyes off of her. A groan pierces the darkness ahead of them. The shambling form of a lone zombie staggers toward them, arms outstretched. Shego draws Kim's blade, running up to meet the monster. Its movements are slow and jerky; it lunges clumsily at Shego, mouth open to tear into her flesh and feed. With a single upward swing she cuts off its arms. The down stroke is the follow-through, cleaving the thing in two from the shoulder down to its ribcage. The zombie staggers for a moment then falls to the cracked floor in two pieces. Shego returns to Kim who leans against the wall for support. When she sees Shego returning she pushes herself off of the wall.

"Sorry we're taking so long," Kim mutters apologetically, "I'm slowing us down."

"D-don't talk like that," is all Shego can manage to say.

"No matter…what happens…I'm with you till the end…Shego," Kim says painfully but with grim determination.

 _Stop this insanity, Shego_ , her brain screams at her, _stop her before this gets worse!_ "K-Kim…"

"Yeah?"

"Y-You're not gonna make it! I…I can't stand to see you like this! Let's turn around and leave this place, _please?_ "

" _No._ "

Shego is shocked at her completely conversational tone. What _really_ surprises her is how fast she can still move. She tries to blink away the tears forming in her eyes as Kim grabs her katana from the scabbard around Shego's waist and thrusts out behind her in one fluid motion. A gurgling hiss dies behind her. Shego steps back in reactive shock as the form of a licker, impaled through its head falls to the ground less than a foot away from Kim's back.

"H-how did you know it was there? I didn't even hear it!"

Kim pulls the blade out from the creature's mouth and uses the blade as a makeshift walking stick to support her weight. "It's been…following us for…a while now," she wheezes painfully, "but I knew it was there."

She leans against the wall handing the hilt of the katana over to Shego. "See," she says with a weak smile, "I still have enough to see this through…so stop…trying to talk me…out of it!"

More groans and moans come from the darkness in front of them. Shego assumes a defensive position in front of Kim, flipping the blade around towards the darkness. "You're a stubborn, fucking bitch, you know that?"

Kim coughs painfully, "Thanks, Shego."

She knows that Kimmie is smiling behind her, but it does nothing to improve her mood. She can make out four distinct moving forms shuffling towards them through the darkness. The moaning increases in volume. Shego kneels down slightly, bringing the blade up to her face. She closes her eyes and exhales. _Focus. Listen._

_There!_

She lashes out striking upwards to the right and downward to the left. She spins and extends her sword arm, slashing out in a wide arc. She lands on her feet facing Kim. Four distinct sounds of bodies messily dropping to the floor tell her that her work is done. She flings the gore from the blade and sheathes it.

"Nice moves," Kim exclaims appreciatively.

"Are you ready," she asks harshly, surprising herself.

"Yes."

"Then c'mon!"

"Yes, Shego."

They make it to the stairwell and luckily it is in better shape than the last. Kim and Shego slowly make their way down the stairs ready for an ambush, but nothing happens. They reach the bottom and into another long hallway with doors lining both sides of the walls.

"Hand me your gun."

"What for?"

"Our backs…need protected. You can't do both, Shego."

"Fine, here."

Kim checks the weapon and holds it out as she turns to Shego's back. They make their way down the hallway slowly. Every door is closed and padlocked, but both of them know that the flimsy doors are no defense against the monsters Umbrella created. Thankfully they make it to the end of the hallway without any encounters. The stairway though is crumbling and in quite a state of disrepair.

"I don't think you can make it down," Shego comments.

Kim hands her back the gun. "Watch me."

"No Kim! Don't!"

She reaches for her but she is too late. Kim runs past her with a burst of speed and leaps over the first flight of missing stairs, barrel rolling as she hits the ground. She does the same for the next flight. Shego puts the gun in its holster and leaps down to catch up with her. Kim tumbles over the last flight of missing stairs, rolling onto the cracked concrete floor. Shego leaps from the last flight as the entire stairway collapses behind her. A cloud of dust and debris covers them both. Shego stands and turns to Kim angrily.

"What the fuck do you think you were doing?"

"Had…to be…done," she wheezes as she struggles to get to her hands and knees.

"Like hell it did! I could've carried you down myself!"

"The stairway…collapsed," Kim says wincing in pain.

"Don't use your goddamn logic on me, princess! I could've carried you down, end of the damn story!"

"S-sorry…"

"Apology accepted, pumpkin, now let's get going. We'll get to the room and if it's clear we'll rest there."

She starts walking off in a huff, but she only takes several steps when she doesn't hear Kim following. A cold feeling of dread appears in her stomach as she turns around. Terror replaces dread as she sees Kim's unmoving body on the floor…

* * *

_Back Topside again…_

James picks up the bladed staff from the fallen warrior after incinerating the brute with his gun. It warns him that it is overheating again and he needs something stronger than his machete if he wants to help his almost invisible allies. He is surprised at how light the staff is in his hands. He switches spectrums after narrowing down the energy signatures given off by the stealthy warriors. They glow on his HUD and he notices that the closest one to him has its back turned to an oncoming Tyrant. It is too busy fighting off two brutes and a licker with a bladed staff of its own to notice.

James runs at the Tyrant, brandishing the staff with the bladed end out, bellowing at the Tyrant. The tactic works as the Tyrant lowers its fist and turns to the noise right as James runs it through with the staff. The Tyrant staggers back a step, gripping the staff protruding through its chest. The gun clicks off from its tether and a quick burst of lasers to its face sends it to the ground. He pulls the staff out of the monster's chest and brings it crashing down on its face, splitting it apart.

James twirls the bladed staff around his head and thrusts out, the sharpness of the blade cuts clean through the brute's skull, ending its effectiveness as a combatant against the camouflaged warrior. With James joining the battle he and the invisible warrior make short work of the other brute and the licker. The energy field or whatever that bends the light around the warrior fades as it turns to him. It taps the end of its bladed staff against its helmet in salute then runs off to engage in combat with more brutes.

James flips the bladed staff several times to get more of a feel for the weapon then runs off in the direction of the other one to help…

* * *

Ash sends out another column of hellfire from his clawed hand. Two lickers are caught in the blast and explode, the other two leap to opposite sides to avoid the fire. Ash has room to maneuver as not one single creature created by Umbrella has gotten past him. The piles of dead and charred bodies line either side of him, stretching higher and higher. Reinforcements still come but their numbers start to dwindle under the fury of Ash's onslaught. Though he suffers from many cuts he shows no sign of fatigue, refusing to give them the satisfaction of such an appearance. A mutated Tyrant's fist bursts forth from the piles to his left side, connecting squarely across his jaw. The blow staggers him as the Tyrant shrugs off the carcasses. Ash staggers into the pile behind him and takes the full brunt of another punch to the face; the force of the blow sends him _through_ the pile of bodies and into the side of the building. The dock area wall collapses on top of him, burying Ash in tons of rubble…

* * *

James impales two lickers with the bladed staff. Grunting, he lifts the lickers into the air as the warrior fires two shots from its shoulder mounted cannon. The remains of the lickers fall off of the staff. He brings the staff down hard, crushing the skull of a lone zombie that was stumbling towards him. The two remaining warriors had forgone using their camouflage and with James's help the horde had been decimated. A few stragglers from the front side of the building start to make their way toward the three.

James's heart sinks when he spies the collapsed docks, and no Ash coming after the stragglers.

He sighs, thinking the worst.

 _You did what you had to do buddy_ , he thinks adding a silent prayer to the forgotten gods of battle, _you did it! We'll take care of the rest. Rest in peace, Ash, it was nice knowing' ya, even only for a little while._ _You_ will _be remembered!_

His gun comes off from its tether and into his waiting hand. It hums to life.

"FOR ASH!"

Beams of energy streak across the field consuming brutes, Tyrants and zombies as they come. One warrior steps up to the guard's left, the other to his right. Their shoulder mounted cannons add to his firepower as they pick off the remains of their enemy.

The battle is over less than a minute later.

His gun powers down, the barrels smoke and hiss as the rain hit them. The warrior to his right growls at him, attempting to communicate. His audio receptors record the message and play back the message after going through the translation software. The translation is only partial but the gist of the message is obvious. He sends a reply, pointing to the back end of the building where Kim and Shego are. The warrior to his right nods, turns, and walks out further into the open field. The other warrior joins him.

His energy sensors go off the scales! James turns and stares in shock as a massive ship materializes above the surviving warriors. The ship is huge! He has never seen anything like it before! The ship stops just above the warriors as a ramp lowers from the ship. A bright light obscures the inside of the ship and James has to turn off his thermals to keep them from frying. A taller figure than the warriors walks down the ramp.

 _He is UG-LY!_ James keeps his comment to himself as the figure walks up to him. It towers over James, a big man himself, by at least a foot. It holds a more ornate bladed staff and wears stylized armor complete with an ornate cape as a badge of office. It glares at James, studying him, its four mandibles that cover its mouth twitch and click together.

James does not move and waits. The figure cocks its head to the side, never taking its gaze from the guard. It grunts then turns to look at the surviving warriors. As one, they walk over to James, standing on either side of him. Slowly the taller alien nods its head. He turns around and heads back up the ramp.

One warrior points to the ramp. James is conflicted. He wants to go, but he wants to stay behind to help Kim and Shego. Then his energy readings spike. The signature brings a smile to his face as he recognizes it. _H-he's alive!_

He quickly sends a message to the warriors. It takes a moment to process and James points to the end of the building for emphasis. He pantomimes a line going diagonally down underneath the building. One warrior nods as the other heads up the ramp. James follows behind the last warrior. He turns to stare at the building as the ramp starts to close. _It's up to you buddy, I got ya a way in. Now go do that voodoo that you do so well! Maybe I'll see ya again sometime! If you see Shego tell her I'm sorry._

The ramp closes, the ship rises in the air and turns. A beam of bright white light shoots out from a port below the engines. The beam hits just below the building at an angle that cuts through rock and concrete. The building shudder from the impact, chunks of the building fall but luckily most of it remains intact. The ship rises higher and higher in the air then heads for the atmosphere and the stars beyond…

* * *

_Back underground…_

Shego is in full panic mode as the building around her shudders and shakes. She holds Kim close to her as concrete, pipes and wires fall around them. The hallway behind them collapses completely. Shego screams, clutching Kim as the world around her goes to hell!

In an instant, it is over.

Shego scream somehow wakes Kim from unconsciousness. Her eyes open and in the no-so-dim-anymore light she can see the thief's panicked expression.

"Sh-Shego?"

"KIM! You're awake!"

"Help me…up."

Shego wants to yell at her, _scream_ at her for being so fucking stupid! But she says nothing as she gently lifts Kim from the floor. Kim takes a moment to steady herself, keeping one arm next to her side and looks around in disbelief.

"What…what happened?"

"I don't know. Everything started to shake like an earthquake hit."

Kim looks back at the collapsed hallway, "Looks like we can't go back that way."

"Kimberly…"

She turns to Shego. "Yeah?"

Shego takes in a shuddering breath. "I…I thought…"

"Sorry, Shego," she says, placing her other hand on Shego's cheek, "I overdid it. I won't do it again, 'kay?"

"G-good."

Shego squeezes Kim's hand with hers affectionately, blinking back tears. Kim offers a sweet smile despite the pain to calm her. The head down the hallway to the last set of stairs. Kim moves under her own power but her movements are stiff and slow.

The last stairway is in good enough shape for the pair to make their way down slowly. Kim coughs, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth. Each time she coughs is like a dagger shoved in Shego's heart, but she remains silent, offering to help Kim with the descent. Kim takes the help gratefully.

They make it to the bottom floor and travel down the last long hallway toward their  
objective. The doors to the room have fallen off their hinges from disrepair…or worse. Shego draws the katana as Kim pulls the M1911 from Shego's holster. They enter the room.

The room is larger than they expected. That fact can be explained by the large shaft carved through it from part of the ceiling and the side wall. The shaft continues through the floor into the earth below.

"This wasn't on the map," Shego says dangerously.

"What happened here?"

"I don't know princess, but stay on your guard."

Growling and other ominous sounds echo from the shaft below. The sounds get closer!

"Quick! We need to find that switch!"

"Over there, Shego!"

Kim points to a power box on the wall adjacent to them. Kim covers the shaft with the pistol as Shego leaps over part of the shaft to get to the power box. She rips open the cover and pulls the little red lever down. A clicking sound emanates from below, followed by a low hum that is drowned out by a mixtures of growls, screeches, and a massive, bellowing roar.

"I did it!"

Kim clutches her side in pain willing herself not to double over. "G-great! I hope…the elevator… gets here…soon!"

A horrendous, massive claw grips the top of the shaft, cracking the floor around it…

* * *

_Topside…_

A fist punches through the rubble followed by a demonic roar. Demon Ash bursts from the concrete prison looking back and forth for something to kill.

Nothing.

The human part of him tells the demon part that the battle is over, he can go back to normal. The demon part of him denies the change, sensing more things to kill welling up from below. With surprising speed Ash runs around the building and stops when he sees the massive shaft descending into the darkness. A faint echo of a gun firing rings out, followed by a louder roar. Demon Ash smiles evilly. _None shall escape!_

He jumps down the shaft feet first, sliding down the smooth tunnel and gaining speed…

* * *

_Underground…_

Kim fires again at the monstrosity as it pulls itself out of the shaft. More horrors claw their way out as Kim empties the clip into the large abomination. Lickers leap from the shaft but Shego cuts a few of them down before they land. Kim slams in a fresh clip as she backs away. Shego twirls the katana in a furious display of skill to keep the lickers at bay as she retreats.

Kim and Shego meet back to back.

"What's taking that elevator so long," Shego exclaims as she slices through a leaping brute.

"It's not looking good," Kim says through clenched teeth, firing at the approaching monsters.

The largest horror towers over the others. A massive eye blinks on its left shoulder as it turns toward Kim and Shego. Its split maw opens as it rears back, issuing a titanic roar that shakes the very ground. Its skin is darker than the rest, almost black in the dim light. Powerfully muscled with a wide torso, spikes protrude from its legs and arms as it flexes wicked claws at Kim and Shego.

Behind the girls the floor opens and a large glass-lined cylinder slowly rises. The echo of the titan's roar dies as a new one replaces it from the shaft above. Kim, Shego and most of the monsters turn to look at the shaft. An orange light emanates from the shaft, getting brighter and brighter as the roar increases in volume.

An orange-red ball of flame shoots out from the top of the shaft, landing on the titanic abomination, crushing it to the ground and making the ground quake from the impact! A massive cloud of dust obscures Kim and Shego's vision as they cough from the dust and try to wave it away.

A deep, low growl echoes from within the dust cloud. The cloud dissipates slowly revealing…

"ASH!"

Kim recoils in horror at the sight of him as he turns his demonic visage to her. His eyes glow red with hellish power!

" _Go_ ," he says in an impossibly deep, echo-like voice.

Lickers hiss and other abominations growl and flex their claws at him menacingly. Kim stiffly takes a step toward him, "W-wait, Ash! We can…help!"

" _I said…GO!_ "

He thrusts his arm out at them and an unbelievably strong wind carries them into the cylinder. He points at the controls and the glass doors close.

The new horde rushes him.

The elevator begins its slow descent. Kim bangs her fists against the glass screaming in denial as monster after monster, horror after horror overtake him.

Then…he's gone.

That was it. They lost him. It starts from within her and boils over. Kim cries like she never had before, a wail of loss at Ash's sacrifice. Shego cannot choke back her own tears as Kim buries herself in Shego's chest. They hold each other, the sound of Kim crying echoes to the ground above.


	12. Chapter 11

**The Calm before the Storm**

The descent down the elevator shaft is ponderously, excruciatingly slow. Kim cries the whole way down. The wounded heroine clutches at Shego desperately, refusing to be pried from the woman's chest, as she wails in grief and denial. Shego, overcome from Kim's reaction, holds her as close as she can without hurting her. The hold on to each other for strength and emotional release long after the elevator stops at their ultimate destination, the main Umbrella research facility known as: The Hive.

Kim stops crying when a massive coughing fit overtakes her. Shego lets her go as she coughs and spits blood. At a loss while she doubles over in pain Shego can only comfort her by stroking her hair and scalp tenderly until the coughing fit ends. It passes; Kim wipes the blood from the corner of her mouth with the sleeve of her guard uniform. She clutches her sides in agony as she gets her ragged breathing under control. She looks up at Shego her face red from tears and the pain. Her eyes have a glazed over look for a moment before they focus on Shego.

"I-I'm sorry, Shego," she says, her voice hoarse from crying.

"For what, pumpkin?"

She had an inkling of what she was going to say but she felt that Kim needed to say it so she does not interfere.

"W-we're n-not gonna m-make it, are w-we?"

"Don't say that, Kimmie! Of course we're gonna make it," Shego replies with all of the forced bravado she can muster.

It is not nearly enough to convince Kim, let alone herself.

Kim's head hangs in defeat. "Ash is gone, James is too, probably."

"We don't know that," Shego responds attempting to placate the heroine. It was not working. After everything that had been through so far Kim had remained strong for Shego and the others. But no matter has strong a person is there _is_ a breaking point. Kim had reached hers and then pushed beyond.

"Then where is he," Kim counters, "Ash was with him, but only Ash showed up to save us. What happened to him?"

"I…I don't know, Kimmie."

"We're gonna die down here," she says in a small voice as if stating a fact.

"Stop that!"

"Sorry, Shego…I-I'm sorry…for everything."

"Shut up, you're delirious! You have no fucking clue what you're talking about!"

"I…got us…all…killed."

_If anyone's to blame, Kimmie, it's me, not you. Never you!_ "N-no you didn't," she stammers.

"We're…dead…Shego."

" _Shut up_ , Kimmie! You stop this shit right now, you hear me?"

"Yes, Shego," she answers in a tiny voice.

Shego curses herself inwardly at her harsh tone toward Kim but it had to be done. She could not let Kim fall into that bottomless pit of despair. If Kim falls into that trap Shego knew she would not be far behind and then their deaths would be a certainty. Shego stands up and offers Kim her hands.

"C'mon, get up."

Weakly Kim reaches for her hands and takes them with her own. Firmly but gently Shego helps Kim stand. Kim winces in pain, leaning against the inside wall of the elevator as Shego draws both the blade and her gun. She turns to Kim, her expression serious and deadly.

"Ready?"

Kim does not reply verbally but she nods as she forces her legs and arms to form a defensive stance.

"Stay behind me."

Kim nods again and moves behind Shego. She uses the tip of the blade to press the open button on the elevator. The door slides open, revealing the Hive beyond.

It is quiet.

_Deathly_ quiet.

No army of zombies chokes the room to greet them with flailing arms and gnashing teeth. No lickers with their claws and tongues burst from the ceiling. No Tyrant stands before them with fists poised to strike.

Nothing.

A dull buzz from the lights mounted in the ceiling is the only noise besides the sounds of their own breaths. Shego keeps the katana blade pointed forward as she steps out of the elevator.

The escape elevator is built into the far wall of a fairly large sized room with grey metal lockers lining the walls to the left and right of their entrance. Two large metal tables are evenly spaced apart and take up most of the room's available space. Banana clips lie evenly spaced on the tables as well as one empty white coffee cup with the Umbrella logo on it. Every locker is closed with a combination padlock. A narrow door, slightly ajar, leads to a small bathroom to their left. Ahead is a massive, sealed security door that prevents them from continuing into the Hive. Shego notices that the security systems are already in place on the door and even with her powers it would take some time to melt through the thick casing of the door.

The lockers are another matter.

She sheathes the blade, walking over to the first locker on her left. With a quick motion, one clawed glove shears off the padlock; it falls to the floor with a small _clank!_ She opens the locker and smiles at what she sees. A black combat shotgun and riot armor are stuffed inside. On a tiny shelf are two boxes of shotgun shells and below it on another shelf is a small white plastic box in similar shape and size to the cargo box that James had on his armor. Below that is a small collection of personal effects: a handful of photos, an empty notepad, and a small digital camera. She grabs the plastic box and the camera.

Kim slowly makes her way into the room, one arm clutching her side. She doubles over coughing and splitting up blood again. She falls to one knee as the other gives out from the pain. One hand catches the side of a table to keep her from completely falling over. Shego is at her side in an instant.

"Kim!"

"I…I'm okay," she lies as a steady stream of blood falls from her lips.

" _Jesus_ ," Shego breathes in shock and horror at her plight.

Kim tries to pull herself up but fails as a stronger coughing fit overtakes her. Shego catches her before she hits the floor and lays her down. The fit is over just as fast as it began, but her breathing has gone from ragged breaths to short, sharp gasps.

Shego helps Kim roll to her side and her breathing improves slightly. The state that Kim is in is taking too much of an emotional toll on Shego as her hands shake of their own accord as she holds Kim's head up.

"S-stay with me, Kim, stay with me," she pleads, her voice rising in panic.

"Sh-Shego," Kim wheezes faintly.

"I'm here, Kimmie, I'm here! What is it?"

"W…where…d-did…you…g-get…that?"

"What?"

Kim points weakly at the plastic box as she stifles another coughing fit. A trickle of blood flows from her mouth. "This? From that locker over there, why?"

"O-open it," she rasps.

She does, using one claw to flick open the latch. Two long, metal, tube-like cylinders are inside.

"G-give…

Shakily, Shego hands over one tube from the box to Kim's waiting hand.

Kim takes a shuddering breath as she moves to a sitting position, wincing through the pain. Now with her back against the table, her emerald eyes suddenly focusing sharply on Shego's while blood flows down her chin in three distinct rivulets.

"H…hold me."

Shego sits down as Kim shuffles forward so Shego can get behind her. She puts her arms around her, holding her gently. Kim holds out the tube in her fist sideways, her eyes hard with grim purpose.

"Harder…d-don't let…go, this…is…gonna _s-suck!_ "

Shego does not understand but she follows Kim's insistent command wordlessly. Under any other circumstance this act would be something to be enjoyed…no… _savored_! But the steely resolve on Kim's face tells her that this is something completely different. Kim presses the end of the tube with her thumb and a long needle shoots out of the other end.

"K-Kim? What are you doing?"

"This," she answers through clenched teeth.

Before Shego could react Kim plunges the needle through the ripped open part of her shirt. Blood sprays from her mouth as she screams and doubles over, but Shego holds her fast. The stuff inside the tube is injected forcefully into Kim and goes to work almost immediately. Broken ribs knit themselves back into place; the punctured lung corrects itself and inflates. The deep crack in her sternum molds back together, and her punctured liver reforms. Kim screams and convulses in agony as the serum repairs her body. Shego hold her tight to keep her convulsions to a minimum, but the red head is stronger than she looks; Shego has to strain and grunt to keep her from thrashing about. Kim's convulsing slowly stops and her hoarse cries diminish as the serum completes its task.

With the ordeal over Kim slumps against Shego, exhausted, her breaths shallow.

"What the _hell_ was that?"

"James used it to heal himself after fighting that Tyrant, remember? We were all sitting on top of that truck."

"I don't remember, I was talking to Ash while you were helping him, sorry."

Kim says nothing as Shego continues to hold her. Long minutes pass in silence save for the sounds of their own breathing. Shego is elated by the sounds of Kim breathing returning to normal and since Kim makes no movement to get out of her arms she keeps her arms around her, _now_ she relishes the moment. Kim takes solace in her arms and the feeling of the woman's body heat all around her. She struggles to keep her eyes open, but it is a struggle that she quickly loses. Shego feels her body go limp as she passes out and she readjusts herself to get comfortable, holding the red head all the while and stroking the side of her face tenderly.

* * *

Kim awakes some time later to the sound of a shower working at full power. Her eyes open and she groggily wipes the sleepiness from them. Her vision is blurry and she finds herself lying on top of the emptied backpacks and rolled up clothing thrown onto the floor. She gets up to a kneeling position and turns to the sounds of the shower. She rubs her eyes again and yawns as the shower shuts off.

"Feeling better, Princess?"

"Y-yeah," she manages as she stretches, "How long have I been out?"

"About four hours," Shego's voice answers from the shower.

"Four hours? Nothing tried to break the door down to attack us?" She looks up at the ceiling; to her surprise it is still intact.

"Nope. I hacked into the terminal over there and was able to activate the security measures in the hallways surrounding this armory. We're safe here, that is, until we get that damn door open, then all bets are off."

Kim's eyes go wide when she remembers the metal cylinder. "Hey, Shego!"

Her head pokes out from the bathroom, her hair wrapped in a towel, her body wrapped in another. "What?"

"Did you find any more of those metal tubes?"

She shakes her head, "Look around, pumpkin. I pried open all of the lockers but none of the others had a plastic case in 'em. I used what clothes I could find to make things a bit more comfortable for you."

She blushes, "Thanks, Shego," but her mood sours at the bad news.

"I have one of those things left, though, if that's what you're asking. There were two of 'em in the case."

Her mood brightens instantly as she stands up, unaware that her torn shirt is hanging wide open, exposing her white sports bra and stomach. "That's great! It healed James from his injuries and mine! It might work for you too, you should use it!"

Silence comes from Shego save for a blush and a long stare. Kim cocks her head to the side, confused. "What's wrong, Shego?"

Shego smirks wickedly as the rest of her facial expression turns what can only be described as _lusty_ , "Absolutely _nothing_ , princess, just admiring the view!"

Kim looks down and her confused expression changes to shock! She holds the remains of her torn shirt closed, blushing madly! "Shego! Wh-what happened?"

"Relax, Kimmie," Shego says nonchalantly as she strides from the bathroom, "I wasn't convinced that stuff worked and I had to see it for myself. Let's say that I am convinced now. Don't worry, princess, I didn't do anything."

_And why not_ , Kim's mind rages at her which makes her blush even harder. She ties the tattered ends into a semblance of a shirt. Shego walks over to the nearest table and picks up the metal tube. Her thumb grazes over the end of it and she jumps slightly as a long needle shoots out of the other end. She stares in horror at the extremely pointy end of the long needle.

"You really think this'll work?"

Kim shrugs, her face still red, "James thought it might. I think it might too. What do you have to lose?"

"Nothing," she says darkly still staring at the end of the needle.

"D-do you want me to hold you?"

Shego turns to Kim; _she_ really _needs to stop blushing! If she doesn't I'm not gonna be held accountable for my actions!_ "Uh, no…thanks."

She casts her gaze to the mess of clothes on the floor. "Tell you what, princess. Why don't you rummage through these clothes here and find something that fits you. There's a set or two of women's shirts and pants in there somewhere. Find something that fits then take a shower. I'll wait to use this thing until you're finished; I need to get changed while you get cleaned up anyway."

"Okay," she says.

Shego puts the injector back down on the table as Kim picks out a shirt, a pair of pants and finds a bra that is serviceable. Shego is surprised at feeling jealous of Kim as she could not find one large enough for herself. Kim heads to the shower after gathering her new clothing. Shego busies herself by laying out several assault rifles and ammo clips as Kim turns on the shower.

_She forgot a towel_ , Shego thinks to herself then smiles. _This could be fun!_ She picks up a clean towel from the floor and heads over to the bathroom.

"Are you forgetting something, princess?"

"Huh?"

"Like, a towel, or something?"

Kim's head appears from the side of the shower curtain, most of the blood stains are gone already. She smiles sheepishly and blushes, "Oops! You're right, Shego, I forgot! Could you bring it here? Please and thank you." Her head pops back behind the shower curtain.

Shego waits a moment and then, "So, that how this works, huh, princess? I don't think so!"

Her head appears from the curtain again; her eyes closed tight, her hair lathered with shampoo. "What?"

Shego rolls her eyes in exasperation, _she's taken all of the fun out of this_ , "Nothing," she replies with a defeated sigh.

She walks into the small bathroom, folding the towel as she stares at Kim through the shower curtain. She cannot see anything but a shadow, but it is enough to make her blush with heat. _Stop it_ , she admonishes herself; _remember what you're here for, dumbass!_ She tries to raise the counter argument that there may not even _be_ a tomorrow if things go sour, which was the likely scenario anyway, so why not? She places the folded towel on the top of the commode as her mind continues to argue. _So what're you gonna do?_ Take _her right here and now?_ The rest of Shego thinks the idea has merit and tries to persuade her rebellious mind on the positives of the idea.

_To use a certain hero's phrase, this idea of yours is_ so _wrongsick_ , _Shego_ , her mind admonishes.

Why? We both know how we feel about each other. Hell, I _kissed_ her! It's not like she ran away screaming, you know? I _know_ she wants this! I do too, so what's the problem?

_You'd be taking advantage of her._

How so?

_Alright, you asked for this. Tell me, Shego, just how many women have you slept with?_

What kind of fucking question is that? What the hell does that have to do with anything?

_You didn't answer so I will for you. Ready? NONE!_

Ouch, that hurts. But it doesn't change the fact that I want her. I…I _need_ her!

_No you don't. You want her body, I won't deny that, but that's all. If you go through with this how do you think it will affect her? Have you even given one iota of thought to that? Don't bother answering 'cause I already know._

Fuck you!

_How many girls has Kim been with? I'll bet none. Hell, how many_ relationships _has she been in?_

I know she's been with Ron, so that's at least one relationship.

_Do you know how far they went? Do you think she can mentally handle what you intend to do? Hell, for that matter, can YOU?_

I'd like to find out!

_I'm sure you would. But I go back to my earlier question: how do you think it will affect her? YOU may want physical gratification and I'm sure she does too, but you see how she's changed around you. She's the GOD-DAMN ENEMY, remember? Your FUCKING NEMESIS! ARCH! FOE! AM I GETTING THROUGH TO YOU YET, STUPID BITCH?_

You don't have to shout.

_Arch enemies do NOT sleep with each other! They DON'T act like best friends, and they most certainly DO…NOT…save each other's asses! What the fuck's gotten into you anyway?_

So what that she's the enemy! I don't care! I can't stop thinking about her! I feel like shit that she's here because of me in the first place. She should be back home, safe and secure.

_James was right you know._

Don't go there, fucker! What the fuck does he know? All he cares about is money, big fucking guns, and something to shoot at or slice up, _I'M_ better than that!

_Are you?_

Yes.

_Really?_

Yes, goddamnit!

_We'll see._

What the fuck is that supposed to mean?

_Kimberly's a hero, she always will be. You_ know _that!_

She's _MY_ hero!

_My point is she'll never let you succeed; she'll always be there to stop you. You'll get locked up again, for like the millionth time, and then what? Talk about long distance relationships! Well, I guess there are conjugal visits…_

Real fuckin' funny there, brain!

_How else do you see this playing out? It'll never work. It's not_ supposed _to work! Don't ruin two lives by doing this, Shego._

What do you mean by 'ruin'?

_Kim, your 'HERO', wears her heart on her sleeve. I know how you will react, that's a given. You will treat it like some kind of conquest and eventually you'll move on. You haven't slept with any women but my basis for this is how you've treated the men in your past. 'Love 'em and leave 'em, preferably right after I'm finished', that's your motto._

That's…unfair!

_No it's not, it's the truth. Now, back to Kim._

Stop it! I'd _never_ -

_Is that all she is to you, another conquest?_

NO! Never!

_She'd be devastated. Broken. Hey, wait a minute! Perhaps-_

No! No, no, no, no! We're _not_ going there, you hear me? I'd NEVER do that to her! I COULDN"T!

_Yes you could and yes, you WOULD, don't lie to me!_

I'm not lying! She means more to me than just a piece of ass, goddamnit! She's…

_She's what?_

I…I don't know. One thing I do know, Damnit, is that I… _care_ …for her! More than anyone I've ever cared about!

_You only care about yourself, Shego._

D-damnit…stop! T-that's not true and you know it!

_It's close enough to_ be _the truth! You're too selfish and self-absorbed to be anyone else other than you, Shego. Trust me, I know. If you go through with this you WILL break her heart, somehow, some way. If you care for her as much as you say you do, can you live with yourself knowing that_ THAT _will be the final outcome?_

You don't know that, you can't! I can't break her heart like that! I won't! You'll see!

_Then stop this before it reaches that point, Shego! You couldn't answer my question a moment ago when I asked you what she IS to you, so I'll ask one final time. What is Kim to you?_

Kim _was_ my enemy for a very long time, but she isn't anymore. She hasn't been for a while now. Honestly? I don't know when it happened or how, but things changed between us. Maybe it was the aftermath of being kicked into that tower. All I could think about was her words and how much they hurt when they shouldn't have. I…I don't think I've ever cried so hard in my life after that! _You_ weren't helping either, brain!

_I know._

You kept saying ' _She HATES you! You really fucked up, Shego'_ , over and over again! You wouldn't stop!

_Of course._

WHY?

_Why not? It's the truth. She said she hated you, which happened, and you fucked up big time, which you did. So what's the problem with those statements?_

I should've died there.

_But you didn't._

Why did her words affect me like that?

_I don't know, you tell me._

We were enemies. You're supposed to HATE the other! So what that I didn't know what Drakken did! It was just another hare-brained scheme as far as I was concerned, albeit, one that went farther than the others. I didn't know goddamnit!

_Does she know that?_

_…_ No.

_Continue then._

…What more is there to say?

_Move forward. How did you feel when you and Kim started getting back into the groove?_

It was great! Just like old times! The fights were top notch, and the banter was back to how we used to be. God, I…I can't believe how much I… _missed it!_

_Why?_

…

_The silent treatment? Really?_

…

_It's okay, I can wait._

We…we were back to normal, like we were supposed to be. The universe was right again. I…I _missed_ it. _Yearned_ for it!

_What? The battles? The snappy comebacks? Or was it something more?_

Something more… _so_ much more! I…I think that's when it changed. She wasn't the enemy anymore. She was Kimmie, _my_ Kimmie… _my_ princess… _my_ pumpkin! I had her back! And I'm never letting her go again!

_I remember you crying that night too._

Yeah, so? I wasn't depressed anymore.

_So they were tears of joy?_

Yes.

_Okay. It's obvious she doesn't think you're the enemy anymore either. You see how she's changed around you. She wants something more. Do you think you can be the one to give her what she wants? A REAL relationship? Are you even capable of such a thing?_

…

_Didn't think so._

Hey! I'm thinking here! Stop interrupting!

_Sorry._

Damn! I…I don't know! I _want_ to, god, I want to!

_But…_

I don't want to hurt her. I want her to feel…like how she makes me feel. But I don't know if I can do that.

_Okay, why not?_

I don't know. You want to know what Kim is to me, right? Well, I'll tell you: Kimmie is my everything! I don't care if you believe me or not, brain! She means more than the world to me! I…I LO-

* * *

Her internal dialogue is broken from an incessant pressure on her shoulder. Shego blinks, startled as Kim pokes her shoulder again. She has finished her shower and was already wrapped in a towel.

"Shego? Are you okay? It looks like you spaced out for a minute there. I thought you were going to get dressed. Thanks for getting me the towel, by the way."

Both sides of her brain suddenly reach a unanimous accord.

_DAMNIT!_

"Uh, you're welcome," she stammers, blushing.

Kim flashes her smile that is both sweet…and…something else. "I'm feeling much better now. Thanks for holding me, Shego…It…it means a lot to me."

Her expression is so sweet and sincere that Shego's brain turns to mush. The protesting, but logical, side of her brain has died. The emotional, devil-may-care side is buried next to it. All she can do is stare at Kim's expression, dumbfounded. Kim moves in closer. Shego finds herself frozen in place, not even daring to breathe as her heroine's now radiant face takes up all of her vision. Kim finally stops, close enough that their towels press against the other. Kim's cheeks blush slightly as the corner of her lip curls into a semblance of a smile. Shego's muscles go taut, and the only thing still working is her heart, beating furiously.

"Thank you," Kim whispers in a low, husky drawl heavily laden with desire. She kisses Shego fully on the lips, a tender gift for the woman; full of passion and desires laid bare yet sweet and innocent.

Shego's brain comes back to life.

See? There _is_ something to this!

_Perhaps you're right. But if you break her heart, so help me, I'll kill you myself!_

Satisfied?

_Not anywhere near! Hey! She's moving away! Do something!_

Kim breaks away from the kiss and leaves the bathroom with her chosen clothes in hand. Shego tries to move but her muscles refuse to work. She tries to yell, screaming Kim's name to stop and come back, but the words die when they reach her throat. Her brain screams at her to move, but she is under the red head's spell. The spell is finally broken when Kim pokes her head back into the bathroom, fully clothed.

"Are you gonna get dressed? What are you gonna wear?"

"Uh, damn, princess! Give me a minute!"

"'Kay," Kim says smiling and her head disappears from the bathroom.

_Must…get…under…control! Mission…Regain powers. Yeah… Umbrella… must… melt… fuckers…. responsible! Get angry! Focus! Don't think about…NAKED... Kimmie!_

"Kimmie?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you toss me my outfit? If we come across any fuckers with plasma powers I'll be better off wearing that than anything else."

"Here you go," Kim says tossing the outfit to her.

She dresses quickly. She leaves the bathroom finding Kim holding the injector in her hands, staring at it. When she sees Shego she holds it out to her.

"Are you ready to try it?"

_Hell no! Do you see the size of that needle?_ "Y-yes, give it here."

Kim places it into her palm. Shego makes a fist around it, staring in grim purpose at the pointy end.

"I'll still hold you if you want," Kim offers somewhat sheepishly.

Shego's expression hardens as the needle comes in sharp focus. "No, bad idea, pumpkin. If I start thrashing about I might hurt you. I still have most of my strength."

"Okay," she replies, her disappointment made plain.

"Stand back," Shego warns.

Kim complies.

Shego takes a deep breath. "Here goes nothing!"

She plunges the injector into her stomach. There is a sharp pain as the needle enters and injects her with its contents, but she has to admit that she has felt worse before. As quickly as the pain appeared it vanishes. She feels a rush of euphoria as the stuff courses through her body. She can _feel_ it returning! She brings her hands up to her face and smiles as the fleshy pallor changes to its normal pale white with greenish tint. The rush continues as it works through her system. She turns to Kim who grins back at her in victory!

"It worked," she exclaims happily.

"Oh…yeah!"

She pulls the spent ejector from herself and lets it fall to the floor. _It's back! I'm back! Time to test it out._ She balls a hand into a fist and calls the power to her. She smiles as a green glow forms around it. The smile quickly turns to a frown as she deactivates the aura.

"Damn," she curses.

"What is it? It worked, didn't it?"

"Yeah, but it didn't completely kill off whatever's inside me. I can feel it eating away at my powers when I activate it, but slower than before. If I'm careful I should have my powers for a while. Hopefully we'll find the cure before I lose them again."

Kim does not deflate from this new predicament. It was not a true cure, but it adds to their chances of surviving and that was a small victory in itself. "Well, I'm glad you have your powers back, for what it's worth," she says to Shego, "They'll never know what hit 'em!"

"You can say that again, princess! The bitch is _back_!"


	13. Chapter 12

**The cake is a lie!**

Kim had chosen a simply navy blue shirt, cargo pants that almost fit, and strapped on a flak vest for the added protection. The lockers were stocked with weapons, now many of them were scattered across the tables. Shego slams a full clip into an assault rifle and slings it over her back, a combat knife is sheathed on each leg. Kim chose a pair of automatic pistols as there was plenty of ammo for them. She adds a combat knife to her arsenal as well, a backup weapon in case she lost her katana. She adds a coil of black rope and a small grappling hook to one of her packs. Both of their backpacks bulged with ammo. In fact Kim leaves behind the binder and most of the MREs to maximize space for the ammunition.

Shego slings a loaded assault shotgun on her other shoulder. Loaded for the horrors that await them, the girls give each other a look of grim purpose. "I've hacked the code so the terminal can open the door," Shego explains to Kim, "Are you ready?"

Kim cocks the pair of pistols and puts one in a drop holster at her leg. She nods and replies, "Yes, Shego. Let's find that cure and get out of here!"

"Right."

Shego walks over to the terminal and presses a few buttons. The massive door makes clicking noises as the locks disengage. Kim covers the door with her pistol as Shego backs away from the terminal, bring the shotgun to bear on the door as it opens. The thick steel rises up revealing a lighted hallway beyond.

There are no zombies or other horrors to greet them.

They step out together each covering a side with their guns. "Which way do you think we should go?"

"I studied the layout of this place when I woke up from my nap," Shego says, "This place is a fuckin' labyrinth and then some! There are labs and research stations both to the left and right. Towards the left are the labs concerning medical research and to the right are the labs where Umbrella was conducting experiments on the T and G viruses."

"What're those?"

"From what I read in the archives they are viral super weapons. The T virus is what those fuckers injected into me, but my fast healing has kept me from turning into a zombie like the rest. You know the other side effect."

Kim takes it in and stifles the urge to say something to placate the rising tension in the villainess. Shego continues, "The G virus is a different strain that creates stronger monsters like the Tyrants and those fuckers with the big fuckin' eyeballs on their shoulders. James and I fought one when we escaped from the satellite facility, but it wasn't like the others, it had my powers. Fortunately it didn't know how to use the plasma like I can and I was able to kill it."

"Do you think there are more of them like that?"

"I hope not, princess, I hope not."

"So which way then?"

Shego frowns as she struggles to reach a decision. "I'm…not sure. The labs dealing with medical research might be our best choice _if_ Umbrella was developing a cure for their super weapons at the same time. If not, then the right is the best choice because I can get a pure sample of the damn shit inside me and maybe scrounge up enough data to make a cure. I'm leaning left, how about you?"

"Sounds good."

"Okay, I'll go first, cover my back and keep in mind that these things can pop out of anywhere, the walls, ceilings, you name it."

"Got it, Shego!"

They walk down the hallway to the left weapons out and ready for anything.

The wait is not long.

The echo of a lone groan reverberates off of the walls long before the zombie shuffles around the corner. It is a pitiful thing, missing its right arm at the elbow and its entire lower jaw. The once pure white lab uniform is now in tatters and stained with filth and blood. One milky white eye stares blankly at them, the other is missing. Shego trains the shotgun on it as it picks up speed. A red dot emanating from Kim's pistol appears on its forehead as it staggers toward them.

"I got this one," Shego tells her.

The dot disappears then Shego squeezes the trigger. The shotgun bucks once in her grip. The poor zombie almost disintegrates, splattering the walls and ceiling in gore.

"I can't believe they'd experiment on their own people like this," Kim remarks, her voice an equal mixture of sadness and revulsion.

"I don't know if that's the case," Shego muses as they step carefully through the remains, "Back at the other facility James said that there was some kind of accident over here that caused both facilities to lose power."

"Either way, it's horrible! They shouldn't have been doing experiments like this in the first place!"

"You're not gonna get an argument from me, pumpkin, I agree."

They round the corner slowly in case more zombies are there to pounce but the hallway is empty. Doors lie open on both sides of the hallway; each room looks the same with cubicles sectioning off the rooms, desktop computers, laptops, and stacks upon stacks of papers.

"It looks like they left in a hurry," Kim comments as she surveys one room.

"Wouldn't you?"

"Well yeah, but…" Kim trails off as she walks around one cubicle.

"…Kim?"

"I'm still here, just looking."

Her attention shifts to the scattered papers on the desk. The top page has the Umbrella logo on the top right corner but the bold print is what draws her eyes.

"Shego? C'mere, you need to see this!"

"Okay," she replies as her eyes dart from one end of the hallway to the other, the assault rifle up and ready.

She walks up to Kim who has gathered several papers from the desk and is pouring over them. "Here," she says handing her a stack.

"What's this?"

"Look at it."

She slings the rifle around her shoulder and stares at the top paper.

"Project: Hellfire? _That's_ the best they could come up with?"

"I saw your name on it so I thought it'd be important."

Shego says nothing busily scanning the first page and then the next few. The only detail she could glean at a glance was the trap that was setup for her. She bristles as she shoves the papers into her backpack.

"We don't have time to go through the rest. Start stuffing what you might think is important into your backpack then we'll move on."

"Okay."

They spend a few minutes turning the desks and filing cabinets over but only come up with a small stack of papers and folders for their efforts. Then they head back out into the hallway and continue on. The other open rooms are similar to the one they had just raided.

"They look like administrative offices," Shego muses, keeping the assault rifle close.

"Do you think we'll find anything useful?"

"Probably not, let's go."

The hallway turns to the left leading to a massive set of security doors that are already open. A maze of hallways, open elevator shafts and stairways beckon. They pass a large room on the right that remains locked. Large glass windows grant access for what lies beyond but the room is locked for a reason. The entire room is full of brown, murky water. Several bloated bodies can barely be seen in the murkiness. Kim and Shego share a look of horror and disgust before continuing on.

A bloated body leans against the glass after they walk on. _Its eyes open!_

Kim and Shego weave their way through the maze of halls and rooms, following direction signs posted on the walls to the Medical Wing. What concerns them both is the lack of zombies and worse.

"According to James, this place should be _crawling_ with fuckers," Shego hisses as the rifle sways back and forth through a meeting room.

"So where are they?"

"I don't know, but stay alert!"

They spend an hour traveling from hallway to hallway in silence expecting an attack from every room and corner. They finally come to a set of closed double doors that lead to the medical wing. Shego pushes the bar in on one door while Kim does the same on the other and they enter.

The Medical Wing lobby is large and sectioned off like a hospital with rooms dedicated to waiting with rows of chairs, a few closed rooms that serve as offices, and several other rooms dedicated to the treatment of light injuries. A long main desk with a terminal on it dominates the center of the lobby with rows of files behind it on a white counter that spans the length of the desk. Files, clipboards and paperwork lie strewn on the linoleum floor, as if this place was vacated in a hurry. Kim covers one side of the desk and the area beyond as Shego slings the rifle over her shoulder and walks behind the counter. She scans the files on the back counter looking for one with her name on it. She finds it and pulls it out but throws it onto the floor in disgust.

"What' up?"

"Fuckin' _empty_!"

She scans the terminal which is operational. "That's okay, I know of more ways than one to skin a cat!"

It does not take long for Shego to hack the login names and their levels of access. She chooses a name, Trask Wagner, as his access was the greatest. She types in his name and password and presses ENTER. The screen flickers and then shows the main menu along with a message, " _Good morning, Dr. Wagner."_

"Good morning to you," she says pleasantly to the terminal, "Let's see what you got!"

Her fingers start typing feverishly at the keyboard. Kim walks around the front desk training the automatic pistols to the corners of the area. In front of her but further down is another set of security doors, one door is closed while the other is ajar. The reason for that is the dead body crammed into the space where the two doors meet. Kim takes several tentative steps toward the body. The unfortunate employee has been partially eaten, missing a large chunk of his skull and several fingers on his right hand which seem to be reaching for her from beyond death. She shudders and looks away from the sight, forcing the bile back down.

The hairs on the back of her neck stand on end when a low gurgling moan issues from behind her. She turns around, her eyes wide in shock as the body on the ground starts to stand up. Both pistols train on the zombie as it staggers to stand, pinpoints of red light dot what is left of its face. It moans again, a strange gurgling noise as it lifts its arms up. Kim fires. The pistols chatter as a burst of lead tears into the zombie's face. It gurgles once more then falls to the floor with a sickening, splattering sound. Blood and gore pools around it.

Shego leaps from the desk, the rifle in her hands. "Kimmie? We got trouble?"

"I've taken care of it, Shego," Kim says, a hint of sadness in her voice, "You can go back to doing whatever you were doing, I got this."

"Right, if you need anything…"

She does not have to finish the sentence, Kim knows. "Gotcha."

Shego goes back to typing at the keyboard. "This could take a while, pumpkin. I got a lot of shit to sift through."

"Take your time," Kim calls out, re-cocking the pistols, "I got your back."

 _You can have my front too_ , she thinks. "You know, it's too bad you can't get in touch with that nerdlinger of yours. With his help this would go _sooo_ much faster!"

Kim puts away one pistol and takes out her Kimmunicator. "I'll try to reach him," she says.

But just like every other time before this she is unable to connect. She closes it in frustration. "Sorry, Shego, no go."

"Thanks for trying, anyway."

She pulls out the other pistol and walks over to the open door. She opens the other and trains her pistols to either side as she takes a step into the next room. The room is larger than the lobby with rows of desks and computers lined up on either side of the room going down half of the span of the room. Large servers and rows of huge magnetic tape machines dominate the rear of the room. The air here is cold and the room itself is noisy from the temperature controls and the humming and clicking of the working servers and larger computers. Closed doors to the left and right are the other exits aside from the one she just came from. The overhead lighting provides enough light to see almost everything in the room…including shadows.

She spies movement to her left in her peripheral vision. The pistols are there a heartbeat later, but nothing is there. She strains to listen for the telltale clicking sounds and the heavy breathing but the ambient noise of the room is too much. The hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as she slowly backs away toward the opening where she came in.

Kim drops to the ground just as a licker leaps over her from the left. She lets go of the pistols and draws her blade in one fluid motion after rolling forward onto her feet. The licker turns around to face her, hissing in anger, its tongue trailing over its shoulder. It stalks toward her, its movements sure and predatory. Kim raises the blade defensively, keenly aware of the horror's deceptive strength. She would not let the monster get the better of her this time!

The licker lunges at her with a claw. Her blade deflects the attack with a loud _clang_ , but she has to fight to keep her balance from the monster's strength. Undaunted, the licker attacks again, this time with both claws. Kim flips backward, easily avoiding the strikes. In the span of half a heartbeat, the licker is on her. It snaps at her blade, but she angles it down making the creature miss. The miss costs the licker as Kim slashes upward, scoring a nasty gash on the creature's maw. It hisses in pain as it backs away, wounded. Kim angles the blade parallel to the floor ready for the next strike. The licker leaps, howling in anger. Kim rushes forward and spins low while slashing her katana out in a wide arc. The licker lands on all four clawed feet, staggers, and then falls unmoving.

Kim slashes the blade through the air in one swift stroke to clean the blood from it. She sheathes it and then walks over to retrieve her pistols. Her attention is drawn to the far corner of the ceiling where several ceiling tiles had fallen. _So that's how_ , she thinks to herself, _I'll have to keep an eye on that_. She decides to head back to Shego to see what progress she has made, closing the doors to the computer room as she leaves as a first warning signal in case more decide to appear.

"How's it comin'?"

"Slow," she replies, frustrated, "There isn't any data on Project: Hellfire in this database, so now I'm looking for a cure for the T-Virus. I've found some preliminary data, but the stuff I need is buried under all this other bullshit! It's taking me longer than I expected to find what I'm looking for. How about you? Did you find anything?"

Kim jumps onto the desk counter, letting her feet dangle over it. "A server room connected to the lobby over there. I ran into one of those tongue things, but I took care of it."

Shego looks up from the terminal, giving Kim a concerned look. "Jeez-us! Are you okay? What didn't you call for my help?"

"Relax, Shego. I said I took care of it, I know how strong those things can get now and I'm not going to underestimate them anymore, believe me!"

"I didn't hear your gun go off so how did you-"

"This," she says cutting off her question and patting the hilt of the katana.

"Oh, okay then. I'll just get back to this then while you slice and dice whatever comes our way, Samurai Possible."

Kim blushes and flashes a goofy grin at her that makes Shego smile back. She turns back to the terminal and sighs in frustration as she goes back to typing, "These people are _good_! They got this shit buried deep!"

"Take your time, Shego. I know we don't have all day, but we need that information if we're ever gonna get you cured."

" _'We'_?"

"Huh?"

"You said ' _we_ '."

"Yeah…"

" _I'm_ the one infected here, not you."

"We're doing this together, Shego. You know more about computers and stuff like that, so I'll watch your back while you do your thing. Besides, I couldn't let you do this by yourself, not after everything we've been through."

"Thanks, princess. I…I'm glad you…stayed with me. I can't imagine doing this without you now."

"No big," she replies blushing slightly.

Their conversation turns to silence as Shego continues to comb through the medical database. Kim stays alert, training her eyes to the corners of the lobby, the exits, and the ceiling. Minutes pass without incident. Kim's mind wanders as she continues to scan the lobby.

"Shego?"

"Yeah," Shego answers without looking up from the terminal, still typing away at the keyboard.

"This probably isn't the best time to ask, but we may not have another."

"What do you want to know, pumpkin?" She still does not look up from the monitor.

"What are we?"

She stops typing and turns to look at Kim, whose expression is very serious.

"Uh…do you want a _biological_ answer, 'cause that one's easy."

"I'm serious Shego! Are we…still enemies? Friends? Something more?"

"Can't this wait 'til later?"

"There may not _be_ a later! I wanna know, Shego!"

Shego thinks of another sarcastic and witty thing to say but Kim's expression kills it dead. She sighs deeply and is silent for a moment while she processes an answer.

"I…I don't think we're enemies anymore, that is, until you piss me off, then its _sooo_ on again, princess!"

"You're _still_ not being serious," Kim mutters angrily.

Shego watches Kim's face, obviously having an internal struggle over what to say. Shego preempts her.

"Okay, look…I'm sorry, okay? It's my defense mechanism. You kinda caught me off-guard there. To give you an answer: No, we're not enemies."

"Then what are we?"

 _The ultimate tag team, that's what. No, stop that! She'll hit you if you say that._ "Honestly? Right now ' _WE'_ are nothing. Your question implies that both of us are gonna survive through this, which is highly doubtful."

"That's not fair and you know it!"

"It's true! Look, Kimmie, do I _want_ us to be something more? Yes! No, that's not right, _HELL_ _YES!_ Do I have reservations? Of course! Do I think it could work between us? I…I don't know, I _really_ don't. If we live through this I'd _looove_ to find out! Am I scared? Hell yeah, I'm scared! Aren't you? And the only reason I'm being so brutally honest with you is because I think our chance are so slim, so… _fuck it!_ There, does that answer your question?"

"Sort of…"

"Kim," she says sighing in exasperation, "I… I _care_ about you. What you think, what you feel, those things matter to me in a way they _never_ used to before…especially after you said…"

"…I'm sorry," Kim said in a small voice, "I…I didn't mean it."

"Yes you did at the time, don't deny it. But it was my fault 'cause I didn't know. Given the circumstances you were perfectly justified in your reaction. I…I had a…hard time…dealing with it…for a long time. But that's in the past; we've got more important things to worry about."

"Okay," Kim says sighing, clearly not satisfied with how the conversation went.

Kim is consumed in her thoughts as Shego goes back to tearing through the database. _Why don't you say it_ , her mind asks her angrily. She counters that it would do no good considering the predicament they were in, which seems to satisfy her brain for now. Still…

"I cried afterwards, you know?"

Shego stops typing again and turns to Kim. "R-really?"

Kim nods, "Yeah, and for like weeks after. Ron helped but it wasn't the same. I knew I screwed up when I said those things. I know you don't pay much attention to the details of Drakken's plans, only on the things that concern you. Deep down, I didn't think you knew, but I was so angry and felt so betrayed that I…"

Shego places a gloved hand on Kim's thigh and squeezes it tenderly. "It's okay, Kimmie, you don't need to say anything else. Now we _both_ know."

"Thanks," she says quietly but sincerely.

"Are we done? Can I go back to raping and pillaging this database now?"

"Sure."

"Thanks."

She squeezes Kim's thigh again in affection then turns back to her work. Kim jumps off of the desk to walk around the lobby, still unsatisfied with their conversation. A bumping noise from behind the lobby draws her attention.

"What was that?"

Kim runs to the doors she closed and trains her pistols at them. Behind the doors throngs of zombies grope and strain at the barrier preventing them from feeding.

"We've got _com-pany_ ," Kim answers grimly.

A fist punches through the glass and they force the doors open. Both pistols bark and chatter spraying the zombies in front with lead. Two zombies fall, but more push into the lobby. Kim empties both clips into the oncoming zombies. Another zombie falls to the floor with a sickening _SPLAT!_ She ejects the clips and flips the pistols into the air as she pulls out two new clips from an open cargo pocket. The pistols come down at the correct angle for the clips to slide in effortlessly. She cocks the pistols across her vest, points and fires.

 _Damnit! I'm getting so close!_ She leaps over the desk bring the rifle to bear. She presses the trigger and the rifle bucks in her hands as it chatters final death to the remaining zombies. She ejects the empty clip and rams in another. The double door on the left falls off its hinges, as it had taken too much damage from the bullets. Twelve zombie carcasses lie on the floor that was now slick in blood and gore.

"Can you try and speed things up a little?"

"No promises, but I'll do what I can. I think I'm getting close," Shego answers as she heads back to the terminal.

Kim is disappointed in her choice of the automatic pistols. She has to expend a lot of ammunition to drop a zombie. At this rate, she would go through all of her ammunition in short order, leaving her with the unenviable task of dealing with them at close range which is something she does not relish.

"I think I found what I'm looking for," Shego calls out from the terminal.

Kim runs to her side and looks at the monitor. Several windows are opened each one a different file.

"Does your communicator-thingy still work? I need to download these files for reference. I know where to get the others but these will get the ball rolling once I figure out whom to give these to."

"Sure, gimmie a minute."

She pulls out the Kimmunicator and opens a small port on the bottom. She pulls out a retractable USB cord and connects it to the computer.

"It's ready, go ahead."

Shego presses a button and the files are transferred. "Good, now for the rest."

Shego starts transferring the files she needs so Kim leaves her to it, going back to guarding the thief. A low moan echoes from beyond the entrance to the Medical Wing, both Kim and Shego hear it and turn to each other.

"I'm hurrying!"

Kim draws her blade and starts walking toward the entrance. "I'll hold them off as long as I can. I'm better with the sword anyway."

"Kim!"

She turns to Shego, "Yeah?"

"…Be careful."

Kim flashes a smirk and heads towards the entrance. Beyond the double doors another moan echoes off of the walls. She can see through the small windows of the doors beyond and zombie heads bobble back and forth as they slam against the doors to force them open. Kim runs back to Shego who is still downloading.

"Hey! Let me borrow that shotgun for a minute."

"Trouble?"

"You could say that."

"How many?"

"Lots."

"Damn!"

"Zombies are trying to press through our way out; I'll have to clear a path for us."

"Here ya go," she says as she un-slings the shotgun, "You know how to use it?"

"Yeah, don't worry, I got this!"

"I'll be there in a few minutes, I've got three more files to download then I'll be through."

"Okay." Kim says as she hefts the shotgun and grabs the box of buckshot Shego hands her.

Kim runs back to the entrance just as the zombies break through the window. She braces the gun for the expected kick and fires. Bits of zombie flesh splatter the doors and the wall behind them. She fires again and more zombie parts go flying. She runs to the doors and pulls one open. She braces her leg against it to keep it open and fires point blank at the surrounding undead. More bodies press in, trampling over the ones that have fallen. She fires again and again, keeping the hungry zombies at bay at least. Kim quickly gets used to the kick of the weapon and her next two shots take out multiple zombies.

Kim steps carefully on the gore slick floor. She fires another round, puncturing a trio of zombies as they fall. She reloads quickly and advances, picking her shots to where they would take out multiple zombies. One zombie strays to close, moaning and groping at her. She smashes its face with the stock, flips the gun around like Ash would and fires, another trio of zombies fall. More zombies enter from the far hall to replace the fallen, groaning and moaning as they advance. Three bursts of buckshot decimate the first wave and take out several of the second. She presses the trigger continuously as she runs to the end of the hall…

Shego can hear each boom of the shotgun and each time it sounds her heart skips a beat. Finally the last file is downloaded and she gather the Kimmunicator and un-slings the assault rifle. The booming stops as she runs toward the entrance. She has to stop and catch herself from slipping over the blood and gore that covers the floor and walls. She covers her front with the assault rifle as she makes her way down the hallway. The doors to the rest of the facility are wide open with several bloody and broken bodies littering the floor.

"Kim?"

"All clear," her voice echoes from beyond.

Shego runs toward her voice and stops as she enters the administrative wing. There are bodies everywhere! The red-headed heroine stands in the middle of the carnage, a deeply sad expression on her face.

"Y-you okay, pumpkin?"

"This needs to end, Shego! These people didn't deserve this!"

"It's them or us," Shego says in a hard voice.

"There's got to be a better way!"

"We'll find it once we get out of here, pumpkin, I promise. I got what I need, so let's head to the testing labs and get a sample of that virus."

"What about getting some blood and tissue samples from the dead zombies? Wouldn't that work?"

Shego shakes her head, "No, I need a sample that's untainted, sorry."

Shego could tell that Kim did not like the answer but she nodded in grim understanding. "Who knows? Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll have a cure."

"Then we can leave this god-forsaken place," Kim adds.

They walk slowly and quietly through the maze of rooms and hallways. Their senses heightened to alert them at any given noise. What disturbs them both is that the zombies seemed to have vanished.

"Where are they?"

"I don't know, pumpkin, but you can bet they're around here somewhere, stay alert!"

They follow the signs on the walls to the testing labs. After another hour of traveling down empty hallways and quiet rooms they come to a security checkpoint. The hallway narrows to one exit, an electric set of glass doors with an open walkway beyond, enclosed in glass on all sides. The glass walls reach into the ceiling. Shego glides a clawed finger across a section making a horrid noise that makes their hair stand on end.

"Hmmm… All my claws are doing is scratching the surface. I _might_ be able to punch through this but I doubt it. It looks like glass but it's not and it's damn thick. I could use my powers to melt through it, but I'd like to save what I have."

"Look over there," Kim exclaims pointing beyond the doors into the room beyond.

At the other end of the room an identical set of glass doors open and a gaggle of zombies pour into the room. Their moans and groans are muffled by the glass. They stumble and lurch toward Kim and Shego, their hands leaving bloody stains on the glass as they approach. Both Kim and Shego back away, drawing their weapons as the zombies slowly advance. The glass doors slide shut behind the last zombie as it stumbles into the room. The closest zombie to Kim and Shego reach the doors near them and pounds his fist in a feeble attempt to bust through. When more stumble up to him to help their efforts are still the same.

Kim and Shego are startled by a series of clicking noises emanating from the sides of the room. They stare in fascination as small metal discs appear from recesses in the floor and travel up the walls and the ceiling of the glass room, traversing the glass. A focused beam of pure blue light bursts from the discs in a perfect grid pattern. In less than a second the entire horde of zombies are diced and burned into ashes. Their task complete, the metal discs retreat back to their recesses in the floor.

Kim stares in wide-eyed horror, unable to speak.

Shego clears her dry throat also at a loss for words. The glass doors at the other end open expectantly.

"This must be one of the traps Shellhead was talking about. How the _fuck_ do we get past this?"

Kim trains her gaze to the ceiling noticing the ductwork that travels beyond the room. She takes a few steps back tracing a path from the ducts back to where they came in. She stops below a large metal screen.

"Shego! Over here!"

Shego walks over to her resting her assault rifle on her shoulder. "What's up?"

Kim points to the screen. "Can you use that thing to get that open? It looks like the air ducts go beyond that room. _That's_ our way across."

"Stand back, princess," she warns as she brings the rifle to bear.

Kim complies as she aims and presses the trigger. The rifle chatters a few quick bursts and then it stops. For a moment nothing happens then the screen falls to the floor with a loud _CLANG!_

Kim runs up. "Can you give me a boost?"

Shego slings the rifle over her shoulder and stoops down, cupping her hands together. Kim backs up and then runs towards Shego. She jumps, landing in Shego hands as she heaves upwards. Kim leaps and latches onto the exposed ductwork, grunting in effort as she pulls herself up. She secures her footing and opens a backpack, pulling out the coil of rope. She drops one end to Shego and backs up into the ducts pulling on the rope as Shego climbs up. Kim coils the rope back up and stuffs it into the backpack and then pulls out one of her automatic pistols.

"I'll take the lead," she says.

"I'm right behind you."

The air ducts are small and confining forcing them to shimmy and sway through them. Time stretches interminably as they make their way through the ducts. Muffled groans and hisses can be heard from below. Eventually the noises dissipate as Kim stops at another screen through the duct. She spends long moments inspecting the floor below for zombies and worse. She turns to Shego.

"It looks clear."

"Okay, move on ahead a little and I'll get these screws off."

Kim shimmies down as Shego starts unscrewing the screws with the tip of a clawed finger. She kicks the rest of the screen down when she cannot get to the last two screws on the far end then jumps down. Kim follows suit.

They emerge in a large room full of tables and computers. The floor is made of the same transparent material that the security checkpoint was, making it easy to see what lies below them. Shego remembers it all too well. The room below is lined with row after row of large glass cylinders…prisons…that she had the misfortune to be trapped in. A massive, vault-like door is the only entrance and exit.

 _"Greetings once again, Shego,"_ a familiar, dispassionate voice echoes over the loudspeakers in the room, "I'm so glad you finally made it."

Shego blood runs cold at the voice. "W-who are you," Kim asks aloud.

" _Trask Wagner, operational head of Project: Hellfire. Greetings to you, Kim Possible! I never expected you to be involved in this, as this does not concern you. I find it strange that you would come to the aid of your enemy in such a fashion. Perhaps our intelligence was not as complete as we had thought."_

"Show yourself, motherfucker," Shego grows in barely repressed rage.

" _In due time, Shego, in due time. I see that you have recovered your powers somewhat. That is…unforeseen, but fortuitous. You seek a cure. One waits for you here…you will find it at the end of the lights."_

A series of bright green LED lights come to life on the floor that lead beyond the vault door. A long hissing noise escapes from the door as massive tumblers come to life and the vault door raises open.

" _Oh, and one more thing_ ," Trask's voice echoes with no emotion, " _Do be careful. Umbrella envisions great things from Project: Hellfire and we have you to thank for the advances made thus far, Shego. You have proved to be a resilient and adaptable subject, almost on par with subject X-11A. Continue to give us further demonstrations of your powers so that we may collect the data we need."_

"I'll give you a goddamn demonstration to your fucking face," she growls dangerously.

" _Please, there is no need for histrionics. You will get your cure and we will collect our data; it is a win-win situation. Now please, follow the lights."_

The speakers die. Kim gives Shego a worried look. "I don't like this," she says.

"I'm gonna _MELT_ that motherfucker _THEN_ I'm gonna _KILL HIM!_ "

Kim flinches at her unleashed rage. She touches Shego's arm to reassure her but the master thief shrugs her off angrily.

"Sh-Shego…"

"Not. A. _Goddamn. Word_!"

Kim gulps down a response. Shego is heaving in rage and that… _scares_ her! She had never seen Shego look so… _murderous_!

"Let's go!"

Kim _eeps!_ She falls in step behind Shego as she storms out of the room. This particular lab wing is made of that transparent, glass-like material that disorients Kim as she tries to get her bearings.

"Quit falling behind," Shego snaps.

"S-sorry," Kim mumbles as she hurries to catch up.

The LED lights brighten and dim at regular intervals, and they go out completely as Shego pasts them. They pass several rooms with the same vault-like doors as they follow the trail of green lights. A loud thud to their right grabs their attention. A licker latches onto the outside of the wall screeching at them, its tongue dripping bile as it searches for a way in. It follows them for a while, screeching and growling in anger.

"Don't pay attention to it," Shego says, still snappy, "Trust me, it doesn't want to mess with me right now!"

* * *

_ In the Project: Hellfire Control Room _

The young and roguish looking Trask Wagner stares at the monitors and purses his lips in thought. A young brown-haired woman in a white Umbrella lab coat turns to him from her monitor down below him.

"All screens are green, sir."

"I thought she would have used her powers to dispose of the thing," he muses aloud, scratching his chin thoughtfully, "Perhaps she has not recovered her powers after all. Her powers combined with the G-Virus produced a weapon more capable and survivable that the other projects, even the preliminary data gleaned from Code: Veronica. Let that fool Wesker have his dream. _This_ is the next evolutionary step!"

He turns to the woman.

"Activate!"

* * *

_ Back in the Project: Hellfire Labs _

The LEDs lead straight to a closed wooden door. Shego scans the area around the door but there is no keycard for access or any other electronic devices. Gingerly she places a hand on the level and pulls it. She is pleasantly surprised when it opens with little effort. Kim covers her back as she enters. Kim quickly follows behind her and closes the door.

The room is smaller than the rest. A single metal desk, chair, wastebasket, and locker are the only furnishings. A pool of blood leads from the chair to the locker. On top of the desk is a desktop computer and monitor. The monitor has a word processing program open as Shego leans in to read it.

… _Preliminary data suggests whatever happened to the subject known as Shego that gave her the powers she wields has also given her an ability to heal from injury that far surpasses most known science. This makes her a prime candidate for Project: Hellfire. I hereby submit the following proposal for the project. Signed, Trask Wagner, Director of Special Projects…_

She scrolls down past the technical data, graphs, and other esoteric data points. Her eyes scan past page after page, hoping against hope for any data concerning a cure. Minutes pass, then…

… _The T-Virus is the conduit! Coupled with her natural healing ability the survival rate for the transfer process is an acceptable 35%, well within the scope of our goals. Now to get her here…_

"Mother fucker," she mutters darkly as she reads on.

… _The transfer process is a success! Unlike the other projects we NAILED this one! Subject X-11A's screens are green across the board! Also a pleasant surprise: not only did we get the genetic material needed to generate the plasma we also received a bonus in that her healing ability was transferred over as well!_

"No…"

"What's wrong?"

"In a minute, let me read a bit further."

… _An incident occurred in the Hive, but our work continues as this unfortunate chain of events was not unforeseen. Subject X-11A performed below expectations, casting doubt on the entirety of Project: Hellfire. Still, valuable data was collected and processed. The remains of Subject X-11A had been gathered and to our surprise it was already repairing himself. An upgraded threat assessment package has been uploaded to the subject as well as a newer version of the battle package with the processed data collected from the first outing. He will be more responsive and ready for the next phase of the test…_

"It can't still be alive," she rages in disbelief.

"What?"

"The monster that has my powers; I blew the fucker apart… _literally!_ Now _this_ says it's put itself back together, stronger than before!"

"That doesn't sound good."

"No _shit_!"

"S-sorry, Shego," Kim says flinching at her tone.

"Sorry for snappy," Shego says sighing.

"It's okay," Kim says placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Shego grips her hand and squeezes it with affection. "You know I don't want you here, right?"

"I know."

"But I'm glad you're still with me, regardless."

Kim offers a small smile, "I know that too. I can't let you face this alone."

"Thanks…for…everything."

"Welcome."

Kim steps back so Shego can keep reading. She scrolls down more pages.

… _attempts for a cure…_

"Here we go!"

… _The process and design is complicated as the T-Virus is designed to counter such intrusions to its core, but we have a working specimen, again thanks to Shego. Her healing ability provided the initial focus as it attacked the T-Virus on a level and scale that almost defies meaning! Unlike other subjects where the T-Virus takes total control with the desired results, this ability of hers counters specific strands of T-Virus DNA, attacking and retarding the replication process while allowing the T-Virus to feed off of the cells that generate the plasma. The plasma cells (referenced in figure 3-14f: Conduits of Power) themselves also attack the T-Virus from within, literally burning the Virus from the inside, but the cells are destroyed in the process. In theory, a cure is possible if enough plasma cells are used to attack the virus, coupled with the healing ability to retard the viral growth. A full recovery is possible within six months to a year; again, this is solely dependent on an ever increasing number of plasma cells to combat the T-Virus…_

She reads on, fascinated as Kim looks around the room. She inspects the dried pool of blood at the base of the closed metal locker. Shego continues to read.

… _The working specimen has been upgraded to a prototype cure. The design was difficult but we were able to replicate the plasma cells with the DNA instructions required as well as the proper energy levels for the cells. She will want this when she arrives. Besides it is the only way to know for sure if this cure is more than just a theory. I have given instructions to activate Phase Two of the project._

 _Phase Two is a special case as we have developed a faster acting strain of the T-Virus and introduced it in a single_ _subject. By the time you are reading this, Shego, Phase Two will be put in effect._

Shego's eyes go wide in shock and the hairs at the back of her neck stand on end. She reads on as Kim leans in to inspect the locker.

 _Yes, Shego,_ _I know you are reading this. Congratulations on coming this far and surviving Phase One. Open the front desk drawer for your prize: you will find a metallic injector filled with a deep blue liquid, this is your cure. We were able to synthesize enough for one complete dose before the facility went offline. This will completely destroy the T-Virus in one subject. You will find another surprise in the locker._

Shego's opens the drawer and sees the injector laying there. She takes it into her hands, cradling it in her fingers. Absent-mindedly she mutters, "Stay away from the locker."

"What?" Kim asks as she opens it.

A zombie bursts forth with amazing speed! Kim screams as its teeth latch onto her arm, ripping and tearing through the shirt fabric and into the soft flesh and blood beyond. Her scream of horror turns to one of pain as the zombie clamps down on her arm. She heaves her arm to the side, throwing the zombie off of her as its black teeth rend through her flesh. Shego is up in an instant as the zombie slams against the door. It moves faster than the others. Kim clutches her bleeding arm as it comes at her again, its mouth open and intent on resuming its feast. Shego calls the power to her and roars, sending a ball of plasma from her extended fist, consuming the zombie and turning it to ash before it reaches Kim.

She leaps over the desk to Kim who clutches her arm in an attempt to stifle the bleeding.

"Kim! D-did it…"

"D-don't worry about me," she says, waving her off with her good arm, "D-did you find it?"

She holds the injector in her fist, staring at it long and hard. "Y-yeah."

"Then u-use it! I-it's what we c-came here f-for!"

Shego's eyes go wide in horror. "It…bit you…didn't it? Y-you're…infected!"

"Sh-shut up! I said don't w-worry 'bout me and use the thing!"

Sweat pours down her face as the pallor of her skin begins to change. "H-hurry," Kim says through labored breathing, wincing through the pain, "Use it and g-get out of h-here!"

"W-what about…you?"

" _Don't worry about me!_ "

Shego takes a step back from Kim's forceful scream as she raises the injector. Her gaze turns back to Kim, her hero, who is changing right before her eyes…

" _G-get out of here!_ "

"N-no…"

 _"GO!_ "

Her skin starts to turn an ashen gray. The color in her cheeks disappears and her eyes turn dull. "P-please, Shego," she says, the last vestiges of humanity in her eyes pleading with the thief, "go!"

Shego feels anger well up within her, anger unlike any she has felt before: _betrayal_. Kim stoops forward, away from the locker, and coughs. Shego could not hold the anger in check even if she tried. She screams viciously as she attacks Kim, ramming and pinning her against locker with an arm across her neck.

"You _DARE_ me to choose? FUCK YOU, YOU GODDAMN BITCH!"

"N-no…Shego," Kim pleads weakly.

Shego roars in rage and betrayal. She plunges the injector into Kim's chest like a knife, pressing the button on the end,watching as the blue liquid disappears. Kim cannot move, cannot _breathe_ as the liquid courses through her. In the span of a few seconds the color starts to return to her face. Kim's body spasms and lurches as Shego releases her from her grip. Kim falls onto her hands and knees, the spent injector shatters as it hits the floor. Kim coughs several times as Shego looks down on her, her face boiling over in anger. Kim clutches her chest as her breathing returns to normal. She looks up at Shego, her face a mixture of disbelief and disappointment.

"W-why, Shego, why? Why didn't you use it…like y-you were supposed to?"

"Shut up," she mutters darkly.

Kim slowly gets to her feet, she feels exhausted and weak. "I…I didn't want you to use it on me! That was for you!"

"You were infected," Shego says evenly, but the anger has not disappeared from her voice.

"So what! Our objective here was to get a cure for _you_ not _me_!"

Shego pulls out Kim's Kimmunicator and walks over to the computer.

"Hey! I'm _talking_ to you!"

"There's nothing to discuss," Shego says darkly as she connects the Kimmunicator to the computer and downloads the file.

"That's-"

"SHUT UP!"

"No! I'm _not_ gonna let this one go, Shego! I want to know why!"

Shego sighs, the anger threatening to boil over again, "You were turning into one of them right in front of me," she says evenly but in a low voice, "It…it wasn't even a choice."

"Don't lie to me! I _wanted_ you to use it on yourself!"

"And what about you," she shoots back, "You'd be dead, a mindless, hungry zombie like the rest!"

"I don't care! As long as I am able to see you get your cure I consider it a successful mission!"

"You're too goddamn selfless," Shego mutters.

"And _you_ suddenly aren't being selfish enough!"

"Hey! I just _saved_ your fucking ass! A thank you would be nice."

"…Thanks."

"Your welcome, you ungrateful bitch."

Kim stifles an angry response and they spend long moments in silence. Shego pulls the Kimmunicator from the computer after the file is transferred. She tosses it to Kim, "Take care of that, it has all the data I can find on the cure. Not just for me, but for everybody."

Kim catches it and puts it in her pocket. Shego starts typing feverishly at the keyboard. "So what now?"

"I'm hacking into the system looking for a way out."

"So that's it then? You're not gonna look for another cure?"

"Nope, I've _had_ it with this place."

 _And me too_ , Kim thinks to herself depressingly. "There," Shego states pointing to the layout of the Hive on the screen.

Kim walks over to see what her claw is pointing at. "That's a helipad. I can fly damn near anything, so that's our way outta here."

"What about that monster that has your powers? And that Trask Wagner guy?"

"Don't care and don't care. We can sort that shit out later. Besides, aren't you forgetting about the government when they find out? I believe ol' Shellhead was right. Nothing will be left of this place once they've made their decision, if they haven't already. We need to focus on getting out of here and the helipad is our best bet."

"Fine, ready when you are."

 _Damn, she's sexy when she's angry_ , Shego's mind offers but she shuts that portion of her mind off, and the anger at her betrayal is still too fresh even if her dumbass princess would not admit it. Shego commits the route to memory and stands up from the desk.

"I know how to get there, let's go."

Kim follows wordlessly behind her feeling depressed and angry at the same time.

* * *

_ In the Project: Hellfire Control Room _

"Sir, we have confirmation of a B-2 bomber in the air and on the way."

"ETA?"

"At present course and speed: two hours, maybe less."

"Thank you. All right everyone, Phase Two is now in effect. Transfer all essential files to The Fields and prep the facility for evacuation. Active The Fields, we'll carry on our work there."

"Sir? What about subject X-11A?"

Trask turns back to the monitors. "We have what we need. Now we will focus on _improving_ what was already done. Let the plasma children play, the government will clean up the rest. To make things even more interesting send in a recovery team to spice things up. If they win they can fly out before anything happens. If not…well…we have more."

"Yes sir."

He watches the monitors as Shego and Kim run through the maze he has set up for them. A part of him, a _small_ part, wishes they could make it to the end. It would be interesting to see how they fare against subject X-11A with all of his upgrades. A smile appears on his face, _yes, it should be fun indeed!_


	14. Chapter 13

**The Final Battle…**

They have been running past corridors, hallways and rooms for over an hour. At each step new and improved horrors arise to stop them. The muzzle of Shego's assault rifle flashes as it chatters death to the swarm of zombies in front of her. Kim's automatic pistols sweep back and forth, spraying a pair of dark green lickers that stalk them from behind.

"How are we doing, pumpkin," Shego yells over the noise of her rifle.

"We've been better," is the reply in the space between pulled triggers.

The rifle bucks and jerks as she mows down the last few standing zombies. The spent clip is ejected and a full one is rammed into place just in time for her to pour on the fire into the next wave as they lurch around the corner. Kim does the same with her pistols and empties both clips into the stronger, deadlier lickers before they finally stop moving. She reloads again and turns around firing into the new zombie wave.

"How many more are there? We'll run out of ammo at this rate," Kim exclaims.

"I know," Shego yells back as she fires.

The last zombie falls in pieces from their weapons. Kim slides against one wall while Shego does the same on the opposite side. Their guns train around the corner and with a burst of speed they run around the corner, ending up at the opposite sides of the wall as they fire into the corridor. The Tyrant in front is forced back several steps from the hail of bullets, but its bulk shields the other five from their attacks.

" _Shit_ ," Shego exclaims as she slings the rifle around her shoulder and calls the power to her before the Tyrant can recover.

Her clenched fists glow green as a corona of fire forms around them. She bellows out a battle cry as she thrusts her fist out. A column of green fire shoots forth from each fist, consuming everything in the corridor and beyond.

Behind her and Kim a grate bursts open from the wall as a black licker bursts forth from its hiding place, landing behind Kim. Kim turns and empties the last of her pistols into the monster's face from point blank range. The bullets force the creature back a few steps but its tough hide absorbs the blows. Kim drops the pistols and draws her katana as it leaps at her, its fanged maw open impossibly wide. Kim slashes out in a wide arc, severing a clawed arm at the shoulder as the licker screams in pain then slams hard into the wall. Kim does not give it time to regroup; she screams as she brings the blade down hard, piercing the bone plate of its skull. It screeches and convulses and there is a sickening, long cracking of bone as she twists the blade. The licker ceases movement and she pulls the blade out. She sheathes the blade and picks up her pistols, ejecting the spent clips and replaces them with full ones.

Shego unleashes her wrath on the kneeling Tyrants, her face a mask of murderous rage! The wall of the corridor glow bright orange from the intense heat as her plasma turns the Tyrants into ash. She lets the power dissipate and admires her handiwork at the piles of ash before her.

"How are you feeling, Shego?"

Shego turns to Kim, flexes a clawed hand then clenches it into a fist, smiling wickedly, "I'm fine, pumpkin, just… _fine!_ "

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I haven't been able to let go like this for far too long! I feel great!"

Her heavy panting returns to a semblance of normalcy but her look of concern does not diminish, "Just don't overdo it, Shego. I-"

"Can it, cupcake! I got a list of fuckers that need to die screaming horribly for what they did to me! It's _my_ turn!"

She unleashes another blast of plasma down the corridor, incinerating a trio of bipedal scaly brutes. Shego un-slings the shotgun and tosses it to Kim. "Use these," she says as Kim catches it, "They'll do more damage than those cap guns ya got."

Kim slings the shotgun over her shoulder then Shego tosses her the rifle. "Cover my back," she commands then dashes down the glowing hot corridor.

Kim is able to keep up with her even through the stifling heat. The corridor ends into a large room of polished metal flooring and walls. The ceiling rises high into the air capped with a massive loading crane. Massive metal crates and boxes are stacked neatly throughout the room. An open elevator shaft is at the opposite end of the room and other exits lead both north and south, leading to areas that are similar in appearance to the one they just entered. Growls and grunts echo from the other rooms. Kim swings the rifle back and forth, covering a wide arc in preparation for an attack.

"Where do we go from here?"

"We need to go up," Shego answers as she charges plasma to her fists.

"The elevator shaft?"

"It might be our only way."

More growls echo then the floor shudders from the sound of a titanic roar. The ground shakes amidst the sound of bending metal, and then it does so again. A massive shadow appears at the entrance of the room to the north a moment before a massive claw tears through the opening.

"What the fuck is it now?"

Another roar sails from the other room as another claw tears through the other side of the entrance. A massive bulbous mass of glistening, sickly brown flesh steps through the entrance, supported on large but impossibly thin grasshopper-like legs. An equally horrific head pokes through, a mass of eyes, wiggling tentacle-like protrusions, and large but sharp pincers focus on the pair. The pincers open, dripping green bile as it roars again.

" _Holy shit_!"

Moving faster that its bulk should allow the new monstrosity tears into the room, raising its long, clawed appendages at Kim and Shego as it charges towards them. They dive to opposite sides to avoid the monster's onslaught. It crashes into a large metal container, shearing it in two with its pincers. Kim rolls on the metallic floor and assumes a defensive crouching position as she brings the rifle to bear and presses the trigger. The rifle bucks and she has to fight it to keep it steady. A hail of bullets tears through portions of its pulsating mass, ripping holes into it. The monster roars in pain as green liquid and fist-sized white maggots fall from its wounds. Shego crouches in a defensive position also and she unleashes beams of plasma from her outstretched fists. Instead of aiming for its bulk she targets the monster's hind legs.

The stench of roasting flesh soon fills the air as the remaining legs are unable to support the monster's bulk. Its roar of pain changes to an ear-piercing screech as it crashes heavily to the floor. Kim stands up from her crouching position, switching to the shotgun as she runs toward the thrashing creature's front. The horrific face turns to her, its pincers opening wide as it lunges at her.

She presses the trigger twice at point-blank range. The head of the monstrosity splits like a melon being crushed by a sledgehammer, splattering the floor and the sheared container in gore. Shego takes care of the rest of the creature and the quivering maggots with her plasma, consuming it in green fire.

Kim steps back for the flaming creature, holding her nose to keep the stench at bay. She runs over to Shego and is taken aback at the murderous look on her face. Before she can say anything her attention is drawn to the other room as the growls get louder.

"Reload," Shego orders, "I'll cover you."

Kim complies wordlessly as Shego turns toward the sounds of the growls. A score of what could only be described as hulking snake-men lumber out from the other room, growling and hissing dangerously.

Her fists charge with plasma as the front four snake men charge at her. She roars a battle cry as she thrusts her fists out, beams of green plasma shooting out at the new monsters. The beams incinerate the front four and continue on to the others engulfing most of them. She targets the rest almost casually, picking them off with short bursts of plasma.

"Ready," Kim calls out as she hefts the shotgun at the ready.

Shego turns to her, "Let's go!"

The elevator is an empty shaft with the coiled cable dangling in front of them. Shego fires a blast of plasma up into the shaft and steps back. A few seconds pass then two flaming lickers fall past them, screaming all the way down.

"It should be clear now," she comments, blowing on a clawed finger, wisps of plasma blow off the claw and dissipate into the air.

Kim smiles, _she's back, that's for sure!_ "I'll go first," Shego says, "Stay close, pumpkin!"

 _I'm_ sooo _letting her take the lead here!_ _But it's great seeing her back in her element._ "Right," Kim exclaims, nodding.

Shego leaps for the cable, grasping it tightly. She starts to climb her way up, Kim jumps and climbs when Shego clears out of her way. They grunt in effort as the pull themselves up the slick cable further up into the darkness…and freedom.

* * *

Hive Reserve Helipad 3

The armored chopper lands and the squad of armed and armored troops exit in a sharp, efficient manner. The largest and most heavily armored trooper points wordlessly to two members of the squad. He points to the surrounding area and in silence they follow his orders, drawing their rifles to the ready as they form a defensive perimeter. The rest of the squad fans out, covering all directions with their weapons. The pilot kills the chopper but stays behind, ready to fire up their getaway at a moment's notice. The leader of the recovery team pulls out a black cell phone. The image of Trask Wagner appears.

"We have arrived and are getting in position," the squad leader says in a deep, digitized voice through his helmet.

"Good. The evacuation is complete. When you are through with your mission you and your squad are to rendezvous with us at The Fields."

"Understood."

"Godspeed."

"All clear," the other recovery team members yell as they report back.

The leader walks over to the massive vaulted doors that lead into the facility. He presses a button on the cell phone and presses it against the door. It magnetizes to it as he and the rest of the squad step back. A few seconds pass then the cell phone explodes in a blinding flash of light and intense heat. The smoke clears, leaving a hole through the thick door large enough for the squad to go through.

"Move out!"

* * *

Back down in the Hive

The hallway is choked with zombies. Kim hands Shego back her rifle and they empty clip after clip from their weapons into them. Arms and legs splatter against the walls as the zombie fall but still crawl toward them. Kim and Shego keep up the pressure until nothing else moves in the thin hallway. One of Kim's backpacks that bulged with ammo is now completely empty. They pull themselves out of the open elevator shaft and step into the hallway.

The hallway is lined with doors on both sides of the wall but they are all open and the furniture had been pushed up against the openings in an attempt to create a barrier from the horrors. Sadly, all of the barriers had been forced through and the bloodstains on the walls told Kim and Shego what the outcome was.

They make their way down the long hallway slowly. They cover and scan each room they pass and each room tells a story more horrific than the last. A mass of groaning bodies crawl towards them as they pass a small cafeteria, but Shego's assault rifle takes care of them quickly. Another zombie bursts out of a maintenance closet next to Kim and she slices the thing in half with her blade that she draws in one swift motion. They continue on and reach the end of the hallway. The elevator doors are open like the last but the cable had been severed several floor above them.

"There's a stairway around here somewhere," Shego says as she looks down the other intersecting hallways.

"Over here," Kim exclaims excitedly as she points her blade down the hallway to the left.

They run to the closed door with the inoperative EXIT sign above it. Kim leans on one side while Shego braces against the other. Shego nods at her and Kim throws the door open as Shego brings her rifle to bear. They are both surprised when nothing pours forth to attack. Shego enters the stairway first covering above then below.

"Clear," she announces.

Kim sheathes her katana and pulls out her automatic pistols. She tumbles into the stairway, covering the stairs below as Shego starts ascending.

 _Click-click-click-click!_ Several long, deep exhales follow. A slick, black Licker leaps to the platform below Kim, dripping a black, oily slime. It growls at her as its tongue twitches around its body. Two more appear, dropping down in front of Shego.

A Licker leaps at Shego with claws and slavering maw extended. The butt of the assault rifle slams into its jaw, shattering teeth and bone as it falls to the floor in front of her. She calls the power to her in an instant, covering her entire body in plasma. The wounded Licker's tongue lashes out but twitches back in pain from the intense heat. It screams in pain as it recoils. An evil smile spreads across her lips. The uninjured Licker paces back and forth above her, its head bobbing this way and that, attempting to gauge the right moment to strike.

Kim unleashes both pistols into the monster, knocking it back down the stairs several steps but doing little appreciable damage. The pistols chatter away in her hands until both clips are empty. Her pistols slam into her holsters and she draws her katana as the Licker regroups. Kim can hear the _hisss_ of the black slime as it drips to the metal floor, causing the floor to smoke and sizzle. She kneels down into a perfect split, angling the sharp blade above her head defensively.

The injured Licker leaps up to the stairway above the uninjured one, avoiding the beam of plasma Shego fired at it. Her evil smile does not leave her face as she cocks her head to the side and powers up. Both Lickers leap at once.

"DUCK!"

Shego unleashes a wave of plasma from both fists as she drops to the floor. The plasma hits both of them as they sail past her. Kim does as ordered and she can feel the intense heat of Shego's plasma as the Lickers fly past her, a scan few inches from her face. The glowing, plasma-enveloped Lickers crash into the third.

Kim heaves herself up and flips backward, landing next to Shego as the Lickers… _explode_!

Shego reacts by generating a wall of plasma in front of them, keeping them safe from the spraying black slime. She lowers the plasma shield and turns back around. Kim stares in horror at the scene as the black slime sizzles and eats away everything it touches.

"That's…disgusting," she exclaims, making a sickly face.

"C'mon," Shego yells as she runs up the stairs.

Kim sheathes her blade and reloads her pistols as she runs after her, paying careful attention to steer clear of the sizzling black slime. They run past floor after floor until Shego stops and points at the closed door.

"This is it, princess, we're almost outta here!"

Kim's answer is her pulling out her pistols and then kicking the door open. She runs out of the stairway covering the area with her pistols. Shego shrugs off the shotgun from her shoulder and follows.

The area is a massive loading dock with stacks of wooden crates and large plastic barrels stacked throughout the area. Several staircases lead up to daylight beyond but throngs of hideous-looking brutes and Tyrants wander through the area. Kim stares in disbelief at the monsters wandering around but still has the presence of mind to duck behind a large stack of crates before she is seen. Shego follows.

"Things aren't looking good for us," Kim comments darkly.

"Do they ever?"

A mirthless smile crosses her face at the rhetorical question. Shego hands her the shotgun and a backpack of ammunition, "Here, take this."

Kim puts away her pistols and slings the backpack over her shoulder. She takes the shotgun and props it against a crate. Her gaze travels skyward as she notes the grid-like patterns of steel girders, support columns, and three large suspension cranes. Two of the cranes hold crates of freight while the other is empty. She pokes her head out from around the stack of crates to take in the rest of the area.

"You got a plan?"

"Not yet, but I'm working on it."

Shego draws her rifle. "Well I hope you get one quick, we're running out of time!"

Kim grabs the shotgun and backs away from the crates as she watches Shego do so. The crates shatter as a Tyrant smashes through. Both Shego and Kim fire at the monster, drawing the attention of the other creatures in the area. The shotgun bucks in Kim's hands but the shells unloaded in its face causes it to fall to one knee and the pair retreats as other Tyrants and several brutes close in on them. Kim looks up as they back away quickly. Directly above them is one of the suspension cranes loaded with freight. Shego starts retreating away at an angle away from Kim but a raised hand stops her. Shego gives her a quizzical look and Kim points up to the crane then pantomimes what she wants her to do. An evil grin spreads across her face as she catches on to what Kim wants her to do. She unloads the rest of her clip into the advancing monsters as they come at the pair.

Kim backs away, firing. The shells do some damage but it does a better job at angering the horrors advancing on them. Shego retreats faster than Kim does, getting into position as Kim keeps up the fire. Shego throws away the rifle after emptying the last of the clip and calls the power to her. Kim reloads and fires slowly, letting the monsters advance closer and closer.

Shego's fists glow with power as she turns her head skywards towards the crane now directly above Kim. A trio of Tyrants and several brutes close in on her, almost within arm's reach.

"NOW!"

Kim dives to the side as Shego fires at the tether holding the freight suspended above them. The tether melts and the freight falls, smashing the brutes and Tyrants. Kim continues to roll as shattered crates and barrels land and bounce around her. She rolls up to her feet and leaps over a rolling barrel then dives to the side, avoiding several more. She performs several more jumps and loses the shotgun in the process as she gets out of the debris field. She lands next to Shego in a defensive stance, breathing heavily.

"Not bad," Shego comments, her fists still glowing with power.

"There's still more to take care of," she pants.

The chattering of erupting gunfire from above causes them both to flinch. A familiar titanic roar makes the hairs on the back of Shego's neck to twitch.

"What was that?"

" _Big. Fucking. Trouble._ "

Kim steps back in alarm as an aura of plasma comes to life around Shego and spikes energetically, causing the steel floor around her feet to glow hot.

"What the…"

"It's not me! My powers are reacting to..."

Another roar cuts her off. The echoes of several screams can be heard from above then the chatter of more gunfire. Kim flips backward as Shego's plasma aura flares, sending tendrils of plasma out in all directions, some striking too close to her for comfort.

Shego shakes her head from side to side violently as she wraps her arms around her own shoulders. She grits her teeth in supreme effort as she concentrates and the aura fades away.

Kim runs back to her and gingerly reaches a hand out to put on her shoulder. "Y-you okay?"

Shego flinches away from the contact, "No, stay back! I-I can control it but it's very hard."

Kim recoils her hand at her forceful outburst. Her look of concern is plain to see on her face as she sees streams of sweat drip down her thief's face. "O-okay," she says sheepishly.

A dark scowl covers Shego's face as she shakes her head. "I got it now, pumpkin."

Another roar from above followed by the screeching sounds of rending metal and small explosions. Kim watches Shego's face contort into a look of grim determination mixed with fear as she looks up. She sighs heavily, the strain in her voice heavy with internal burdens.

"K-Kimmie, I-I want you to do something for me."

Kim draws her blade in preparation for the inevitable conflict, "What is it Shego?"

"I…I don't know if you should stick close to me or stay as far away as possible. It's going to be hell up there. I can… _feel_ …him! Please, whatever you do, stay away from that monster! I think it can… _feel_ …me too. I…I don't know how this is going to end, Kim."

Kim ignores her thief's command to not touch her and places a soft hand on her cheek, "We'll get through this, I promise!"

Shego tries to flinch back but she loses herself in Kim's eyes which root her to the spot. "Y-you think so?"

Kim nods with absolute determination, "Yes."

The plasma-powered thief wants to take the girl in her arms at that moment and never let go, but the ceiling shudders violently followed by human-like screams and another ear-splitting roar. Kim breaks contact as the floor shakes. "Let's do this," she says as she brings her blade up, the steel shining when the flickering lights overhead catch it.

"All right, pumpkin, I'm ready!"

Most of the loading dock has emptied of monsters as they have made their way up to join the battle. Kim and Shego dash for a stairway and make their way up topside.

The scene before them is a warzone! A large group of men clad in armor and carrying powerful weapons have taken out all of the monsters that came from below. Both Kim and Shego stop and gasp at the monstrosity before them. A hulking mass of strength and power glows with plasma power like Shego, it rears bringing its massive arms up then brings them down, smashing the steel floor. The shockwave sends three armored people flying from their defensive positions.

A large, blood-red eye blinks and moves of its own accord on the monster's left shoulder. That shoulder is longer than its right, and both arms end in long, sharp, grasping claws. Its orbs for eyes glow green with power and its disgusting split maw opens, issuing forth a terrific roar. Black stringy hair clings to the top of its head it tufts and it turns toward Kim and Shego, dripping a mixture of mucus and acidic bile.

For the first time in her life Kim curses aloud.

"What the fuck is that?"

"Back away," Shego whispers dangerously as she calls the power to her.

The monster rears to its full height as its armored carapace gets pelted with a hail of bullets, but it pays them no mind as it takes an earth-shuddering step towards Kim and Shego. Kim takes a step back in mortal terror. The monster raises an arm across its chest and casually bats away a helicopter in front of it. The machine explodes as it breaks apart, sending flaming debris on top of several of the recovery team members who had taken cover on the other side of the bay.

Shego curses as she steps in front of Kim. That was the only chopper on this pad, they'll have to find another and quick! The monster gains speed as it advances, charging its massive claws with plasma. Shego roars as she extends her hands, unleashing a wave of green hell at the monster. The fury of her assault causes Kim to back away further from the intense heat Shego is generating. The wave of plasma hits the monstrosity with full force stopping its forward momentum as it howls in rage and pain.

"I'll finish you for the last time, fucker! This time there won't be anything left," Shego screams in rage as she runs toward it, her eyes glowing with the power at her disposal.

"Shego! No!"

Her warning falls on deaf ears as Shego leaps at the creature's face with a plasma-charged fist cocked back at the ready.

Kim dives to the right just as a hail of automatic fire pelts the ground where she was standing. She rolls and slams her shoulder into the side of an armored box as she hears the almost hollow popping sound of a grenade launcher going off. She rolls backward onto her feet and leaps back as the crate explodes, sending hot shrapnel out in all directions. She lands on her butt thanks to the shockwave and all of the wind is knocked out of her. She gulps air and jumps to her feet only to dive to the side as a recovery team member runs sideways to her, spraying the area with hot lead. She can feel the heat of the bullets as they wiz past her face. She lands and rolls behind the wall of a hangar for a second of safety. The wall gets pelted with bullets and the sounds of them ricocheting off the wall keeps her mind from focusing. Another hollow popping noise alerts her legs to react and she dives forward as a large chunk of the side wall explodes sending more shards of hot, sharp metal at her…

* * *

A massive thunder crack is the sound ringing in Shego's ears as her fist connects across the monster's split maw. She pushes off of the creature as it falls backward and crashes to the metal floor. She flips in mid-air and lands on her feet. She suddenly remembers a stupid anime she saw a few years back, and her mind says, _fuck it! Why not?_ Plasma charges to her hands as she brings them both to her left side. A ball of plasma grows between them as she waits for the monster to get back up. It gets up slowly, shaking its head as it regains its balance. It turns to her and roars in anger. Its fetid breath is so forceful her hair moves like it would in a strong gust of wind. She grits her teeth in effort as she pours more power into the plasma ball. The monster flexes its arms in rage as it roars again and charges…

* * *

The buzzing in Kim's ears refuses to stop. For a moment she sees triple, then double, before her vision finally returns to normal. She moves her arms and legs and a sharp pain in her leg causes her to cry out in pain. She turns to look, seeing a long shard of metal imbedded in the back of her leg. She lets go of her blade and brings her leg up despite the pain. She closes her eyes tight and clenches her teeth as her hands wrap around the still hot metal. She cries out again as she pries the shard out. Luckily the shard missed any major arteries and did not go the whole way through. She rolls around and ties off her pants leg around the wound to staunch the bleeding. Ahead of her a figure moves through the smoke. Acting on pure instinct she throws the metal shard as hard as she can at the figure. It strikes him squarely in the chest. A surprised grunt issues from his helmet as the helmet dips in disbelief at the metal shard protruding from his chest. He falls. She should feel bad, and she _does_ , but there is no time for her to feel remorse as she scrambles to the fallen armored figure and grabs his weapon, a loaded M79 grenade launcher. She can barely make out several more figures coming at her through the black smoke. She braces the launcher at her feet and points directly at them.

She squeezes the trigger.

The weapon bucks as the grenade shoots out. The shockwave of the explosion sends her sprawling backwards amid the death cries of her pursuers…

* * *

The squad leader watches the monitor as three more blips disappear from the screen. Losses were already heavy as his team was down to half strength. He turns to his aide. "Send in the RPGs."

* * *

Shego growls that grows in intensity until it is a full blown roar as she brings her hands to her front with her palms out. The ball of plasma turns into a massive beam of green energy as it sails over the short, deadly space on a clear trajectory towards the monster. The beam cuts through everything in its path, incinerating crates, equipment, and the bodies of the fallen both human and the recently risen alike. The monster tries to dodge the blow but the beam hits it in the shoulder with the eye. The force of the beam knocks it off of its feet and carries it backward before the monster twists out of the path of the beam. It skids several times before coming to a stop, grasping its injured arm and howling in pain. The massive eye is no more, ripped out from Shego's attack. The beam travels on past the landing pad and on towards Raccoon City. The beam ends, hitting a skyscraper. The first couple of floors explode in green flame and the damage is enough to topple the massive building.

Shego stands in place, breathing heavily. She can feel the power diminish within her but she charges her fists with plasma anyway. From off to the side of her she hears the noise of several explosions. She turns to look and her eyes go wide in shock as she sees three armored figures fire rocket launchers at her! She leaps as high as she can as the rockets zero in on her position and explodes. She lands roughly and turns toward them as two more show themselves and fire at the monster…

* * *

Kim sucks in breath after painful breath. In her blurry vision she can see the hilt of her katana and she grasps it. She uses the blade to help her to her feet as she looks around. Her head pounds, it hurts to breathe, and the buzzing in her head refuses to quit. She uses the blade to steady herself as she squints to see through the black smoke. She can see the troopers armed with rocket launchers, firing at Shego and the monster. Behind them is a building with a large satellite dish on top. Her gaze travels to the coils of large power cables that feed up through the building and into the dish. She looks down and marks out a path for herself, avoiding the rocket troopers and several other troopers armed with automatic rifles. She sheathes her blade, ducks down and heads towards the building…

* * *

The monster roars as it raises its claws and fires out streams of plasma at the rocket troopers. One smart trooper ducks, but another close to him does not. He explodes and the one that ducked screams in pain and horror as he jumps up and attempts to slap out the fire on him. Another blast of plasma ends his struggle. The monster growls and turns towards Shego.

Shego blasts an approaching rocket with a plasma beam. Another explodes close to her sending her flying to the side. She bounces hard on the steel and skids a few feet before stopping. She forces herself up, fighting through the pain that screams in her limbs. Dimly she can see the large blurry mass of the monster lumbering toward her. To the side she can make out a trooper reloading his rocket launcher. She turns back to the monster but her perception was off. The monster stands before her, growling menacingly. All of the air is forcibly expelled from her lungs as it backhands her. Shego takes to the air and slams hard into the wall of the building with the satellite dish and crumples to the steel below.

The rocket troopers fire in pairs at the monster. Impossibly it catches the rockets and throws them back at the dumbfounded troopers, destroying them. A wisp of charged plasma waifs off of its wounded shoulder as it lumbers towards Shego…

* * *

"The B-2 is entering the area. Commander, look! It's coming this way, sir," the aide exclaims excitedly as he points.

"We have what we need. Bug out," he orders as he closes the laptop and readies his assault rifle.

The rest of his troops double-time as they follow him out of the building. They stop at the entrance and point their weapons at the person in the opening.

Kim stands there, a rocket launcher prepped and read at her shoulder, her finger resting on the trigger.

"Drop the weapon and stand down," the commander orders.

"No one leaves here without us," she says dangerously.

The commander turns to one of his troopers, "We don't have time for this! You! Take care of-"

He does not have the time to finish as Kim presses the trigger.

The commander's eyes widen in disbelief inside his helmet as time slows down. He dives to his side and watches as the rocket flies right past him. It explodes behind him the blast of flame consuming him and the other troopers. Time speeds back up as he smashes through the window. The building is consumed in fire as Kim jumps backwards to avoid the shockwave and the fire blast. All thoughts of pain are dismissed as she draws her blade while still in mid-air. Her back slides a few feet on the steel before she comes to a stop and then she flips up on her feet.

* * *

The commander hurts! His cracked and partially melted HUD flickers as he stares at the charred remains of his laptop and the information he was sent to retrieve. He pulls his helmet off and throws it away in disgust. His entire troop was dead or dying, mostly by the damn girls, not the monsters. He presses a switch on his rifle and a wicked blade springs into place. Oh yes! The will both pay! Out of the corner of his vision he sees the redhead enter the ruins of the building. He ejects the full clip and wields the rifle like a bladed staff, wanting the satisfaction of seeing the life drain from her eyes before him. He rolls out to his side and assumes a crouching position until he is sure she is out of sight…

* * *

Shego slips in and out of consciousness. It does not help that the wall she rested against bucks from an explosion from the inside, but the outer wall holds. The jarring brings her back from slipping into unconsciousness. The aura of plasma suddenly comes to life around her with her calling to it. She can feel the power wane with each passing second as the serum within her bloodstream loses its potency. Her vision clears just in time for her to see the behemoth before her, a fist raised to strike!

She leans over to her side almost lazily, but she avoids the monster's attack as its fist dents the wall behind her. Muscles refuse to move but through sheer will she commands them to. She jumps, thrusting her shoulder into the monster's face. It staggers back one step and she unleashes fist after fist into the creature's face and midsection. It staggers back, roaring in anger. Shego steps back as well, crouching. The monster telegraphs its next clumsy attack, raising a clawed fist. She waits for the right moment leaping over the monster as its fist comes crashing down. Her feet land on its back and she kicks off of it as hard as she can, sending its face into the steel wall making a new face-shaped dent.

She regains control of her powers but it is taking more and more concentration for her to maintain it. Her clawed gloves charge with power as she waits for the creature. It growls and heaves, detaching itself from the wall. It roars as it turns, tendrils of plasma trailing off its claws and split maw. Shego rests her claws at her side as she regards the monstrosity, a small trickle of green blood falls from the corner of her mouth.

"Give me everything you got!"

It unleashes a titanic roar as it thrusts an arm out at her. A massive wave of plasma shoots from its claws and envelops Shego. She welcomes the power. She fights against the force of the wave to stand her ground but the power adds to her own, recharging her. She strains and grunts to keep her footing, even though she can feel her boots slide backward from the monster's forceful blast. The heat is almost unbearable and she can feel sections of her bodysuit tear off or burn away before the blast finally dissipates. The monster growls as it cocks its head to the side in confusion. An evil smile spreads across Shego's bleeding lips.

"Even with your upgrades, you're not so smart. Remember what happened last time?"

Charged beyond anything she has ever felt before, Shego calls all of the power to her. Her entire body glows with plasma! Lightning discharges off of her at various spots as her hair rises into the air from the charged plasma. Her feet lift off of the floor and stop as she hovers a few feet above the steel. She spreads her arms out wide as more electricity discharges around her plasma aura. Undaunted, the monster roars a challenge and charges the plasma into an aura around its massive bulk. Sections of the steel floor glow bright orange from the heat and several spots melt clear through from the plasma-charged titans as they square off...

* * *

The stench of burnt flesh and ozone assaults Kim's nose as she enters the building. The charred remains of the troopers disturb her to her core, but what other choice did she have? Her guilt disappears as a huge fist-sized dent appears in the wall that remains.

 _Shego! Need to help her,_ her mind snaps, burying all other thoughts and emotions. She grunts as she shoves aside burnt, twisted metal and other debris as she searches for a ladder and a hatch that leads to the roof. She forces herself to ignore the sharp pain in her leg as she leaps over more debris. Her eye catches the large power cables running along the ceiling. Most of the outer hard casing is damaged and melted in places but none of the internal wiring is exposed, so hopefully her plan will still work. The debris field is dangerous with twisted and sharp metal shards strewn throughout the floor along with overturned metal shelves and sparking exposed wiring from destroyed dedicated terminals and wall sockets. Kim steps lightly, avoiding the sparking wires and the sharp shards of metal as she makes her way deeper into the building. Another loud thud causes her to turn her head. A new dent appears in the wall, looking a lot like the face of the horrible creature Shego is facing.

A moment later another crashing sound causes her to turn around. The armored commander of the troopers stands in front of a window, his scarred face regarding her with murderous intent.

She brings her blade to bear and crouches slightly in a defensive stance. "I gave you a chance," she says to him grimly, "You chose-"

"Shut up," he says darkly, ending any further conversation.

He leaps over a large mound of debris, pressing another button on his wrist. A blade pops out into his hand and he lets the rifle drop to the floor. His sword is shorter than Kim's blade but his blade is thicker. He steps toward her confidently and stops several feet away from her. He brings the blade up to his face is salute then lowers it with purpose.

"We don't have to do this," Kim offers.

"I will make you _beg_ for me to finally kill you," he says casually.

His stance does not register in her brain at the moment but then she does not have time to think as he lunges lazily. She bats the blade away to the side, bringing her blade back to its defensive position. His eyes follow every movement she makes, noting her stance and speed. Kim sees this as well, raising a warning in the back of her mind. He lunges again, slowly, lazily. His stance is sure, his poise perfect. She easily backs away from the attack. Again he watches her. She presses in with an attack, slashing her katana upwards at an angle. His feet stay rooted in place but he twists his torso to dodge the attack. Kim notes his movements: sure, confident, and economical in the sense that he moves just enough to avoid the attack.

 _This could be a problem_ , her mind warns her as she steps back and crouches in a new defensive position. He crouches as well aiming the tip of his sword at a point right between her emerald eyes. Then, moving extremely fast, he lunges at her…

* * *

Two beams of plasma meet in the space between the thief and the monster. The floor disintegrates from the heat that is stronger than the sun! The beams dissipate as Shego moves to the left. The abomination veers to intercept and plasma-charged fist meets plasma-charged fist in a thunder clap of force and power. Shego grunts and strains against the sheer strength of the monster as it issues a growl in return. They jump back as one then leap at each other again. Shego's claws score a hit across its chest as she ducks under its outstretched fist. She cores another hit across its maw with her other claws. She brings her arms in defensively as its other fist thrusts out, sending her sailing backwards when it connects.

She lands on her feet but the impact makes her skid on the floor for several feet, leaving orange-hot streaks in the metal floor from her aura. Moving faster than before, the monster charges at her, sending beams of plasma at her as it comes. She bats away the beams casually and leaps at the creature, connecting with a knee to its face. She flips over it, raking her claws down its back. The evil smile returns as she hears it roar in pain and rage. She kicks out with her boot and connects, sending the monster crashing to the ground. She turns and thrusts her arms out sending waves of plasma into the creature. Her smile widens as the monster's cries of pain increase in intensity. Despite its pain the monster rises and lumbers slowly toward her. Her smile darkens into a scowl as she pours on the power. Still it comes at her, trudging through the waves of plasma shooting from her extended hands.

She stops the barrage as the monster is almost on top of her. It telegraphs its move by raising a fist into the air. She braces her feet as it lunges. The wind is knocked out of her lungs as she catches its fist and strains against it. A low growl escapes from the monster's maw as it pushes forward. Shego's boots slide back from the force of the creature. Its fist is charged with power and she lets it feed her while she struggles against the creature's strength. Suddenly it grasps her with its other clawed hand. Shego cries out in pain as its massive claws clamp around her and then he tosses her away like a rag doll. The aura surrounding her protects her from the impact as she flies and melts through the wall of the hangar, the chopper inside it, the _other_ wall of the hangar, and finally skidding to a stop on the other side of the landing pad. The aura disappears as Shego fights to stay conscious.

It is a battle she is losing.

She struggles to stand suddenly finding it very hard to do so as her muscles refuse to work properly. She tries again and fails. Then there is deep pressure all around her as she is lifted off the ground and tossed again. Somehow she has the reserves of mind to call the power to her once again as she bursts through the hangar again. She bounces hard on the steel and rolls across it, finally stopping at the wall she was at earlier, only this time _she_ has made a new dent in the wall before collapsing into unconsciousness…

* * *

Kim is purely on the defensive. His strikes are fast and sure, and she is hard pressed to dodge and block the flurry of stabs, feints and slashes. He continues the relentless pressure forcing her back step by step. She grunts in pain as he scores a succession of quick slashes across her stomach, arm and knee. The cuts are not deep but the pain is distracting and the blood loss might become a problem later. His face is utterly impassive as he comes at her form seemingly everywhere. She flips backwards to disengage from him, landing somewhat unsteadily on her feet. She changes to a new defensive position, crouching down low, bringing her blade up to her face and parallel to the floor. He walks toward her calmly, swinging his blade down at an angle to the left and then the right. Kim chances a glance towards her back, noting the short distance to the wall. He is backing her in a corner.

He stops before her and his stance changes slightly. His feet no longer point at her but to the side as he switches his sword to his other hand and then lunges. Kim resolves to stand her ground this time, using the tip of her blade to bat away the flashing steel of her opponent. He comes at her again and again but she parries every attack. The style her opponent is using is not known to her but the movements are becoming predictable. He comes at her high then attacks from below alternating every third lunge or so with an angled slash, but always from his right.

She lets him go through his routine several times. Then he starts over again, his face still impassive. She slows down her parries ever so slightly giving him the illusion that he is wearing her down. With renewed confidence he continues his routine and then slashes at her from his right.

She bats the blade away and lunges at his weak spot: his right shoulder. He cries out in pain as her blade pierces his armor and bites deeply into his flesh. She twists the blade and pulls it out as he backs away, crying out in pain and frustration. He flips his sword to his uninjured arm and presents his non-injured side to her as Kim changes her stance as well. She bends her knees letting the tip of her blade face the floor behind her in the style of the classic samurai duelist. She recognizes the stance he is in and of the attacks he could bring to bear. She closes her eyes and shakes her head sadly.

"Stand down," she whispers pleadingly, "You lost."

"I told you," he hisses hatefully, "I am going to make you beg, you bitch!"

"Come then," she says calmly.

He charges at her and lunges knowing full well her stance, attack method, and the counter for it. She does not move as he attacks. His brain picks up on this a moment after she should have moved but he has committed to his maneuver. The blade strikes out as a feint then he brings it up quickly to protect his neck from the attack that never comes. As he is bringing his blade up she shoves the hilt of her katana into his stomach with all of her strength. He doubles forward as all of the air is forcibly expelled from his lungs. He loses the grip on his sword as he doubles over. The hilt connects to his chin next, snapping his neck back painfully.

In less than a second the fight is over.

She steps around him as he falls forward. Her blade flashes out, cutting through the armor, severing muscles and sinew in his arms and then his legs as she twirls around him in a dizzying display of speed and grace. Her blade returns to its sheath as he finally falls to the floor in a heap.

She steps over him, kicking him in the head as he stirs from unconsciousness. The stirring stops. She reaches the ladder, climbs up and forces open the hatch to the outside…

* * *

Shego is painfully brought back from unconsciousness as she slams into the wall, caught fast in the monster's grip. The missing eye on its shoulder is almost fully healed as it blinks rapidly. The split maw enters Shego's vision as it cocks its face to the side, its fetid breath washing over her. Shego's eyes flutter closed, unwilling to meet her death in its white orbs. The attack does not come. She opens her eyes weakly and meets its horrible gaze. Her brain screams at her to move as the intent in its eyes is not her death, but a fate infinitely worse! Her eyes widen in horror and she screams helplessly as it closes in on her.

"Hey!"

The head of the abomination turns skyward to the noise. Kim jumps from the edge of the building, hefting the sparking power cables in her arms. She lands on the monster's shoulder and screams as she shoves the sparking mass of power cables into the side of its face! The monster rears back and roars in pain and rage, releasing Shego from its grasp as Kim jumps off of it and catches Shego before she falls again. The monster screams and writhes in pains as it tries to grasp the power cables jabbed into its face. Kim wraps her arms around Shego and rolls to the side with her as a clawed foot stomps down a split-second later where they stood. Tendrils of plasma flare to life around the flailing, screaming monster. Kim hugs Shego tightly as she rolls across the floor, narrowly avoiding several tendrils of plasma that cut through the floor and beyond.

Kim rolls up to her feet, bringing Shego with her. Shego winces in pain as she feels her healing factor working in overdrive. The drawback is the power leaves her at an accelerated rate as her skin tone darkens and becomes more flushed. The green tint to her skin starts to disappear as Kim watches the process unfold.

"We need to keep moving," Kim exclaims in desperation, grabbing her hand.

"C-coming," Shego answers weakly as Kim almost has to drag her on.

The monster roars in pain as it pulls the power cables from its half-melted face. Kim and Shego duck behind the hangar as the monster sends beams of plasma through it, disintegrating their cover. Shego leans against Kim for support. "Hold me up," she grunts.

The monster howls in rage as the visage of her comes into its focus. Plasma charges around its fists.

"When I give the word, let me go," she orders.

"W-what?"

"Trust me, Kimberly."

The monster raises its fists at them and unleashes another barrage of plasma.

"Now!"

Kim releases her and at that moment Shego shoves her heroine backward, away from the deadly beams of plasma. Kim lands roughly as Shego spreads her arms out wide as the beams envelop her.

 _This'll be the last chance I get_ ; she thinks as her body absorbs the power, recharging and healing her at the same time, _I have to make the most of it!_

It is a simple matter to call a slight portion of the power back now. She makes a simple shield of plasma in front of her. The beams arc away, striking the opposite sides of the landing pad. The beams stop coming and Shego drops the shield. The monster howls in rage at her and Kim. Kim gets to her knees but her gaze settles away from the monster. Further down the landing pad is another hanger, but this one has a working machine. She cannot hear it above the abominations cries of fury but she can see the stack of rags being buffeted by a strong wind.

"Shego! We have a way out!"

"Go! I got your back," Shego yells with renewed strength.

Kim makes a dash for the other hangar. Shego follows but slowly, keeping herself in between Kim and the monster. The pulsing abomination follows; slinging bolt after bolt at Kim and Shego, but Shego calls her plasma shield to her to deflect its attacks.

Kim stops at the side of the hangar now clearly able to hear the whine of the chopper engine through the incessant buzzing in her head. Her head pokes around the corner and she can see the pilot frantically completing his final checks for takeoff.

Kim turns to Shego. "We don't have much time, we need to move now!"

They run around the hangar waving frantically at the pilot. He almost jumps out of the seat from fear.

"What are you doing here? Who are you?"

"You're taking us out of here," Shego says darkly, showing him a fist charged with plasma.

He gulps and opens the doors. "Hurry up and get in!"

Kim enters the chopper and waves Shego in but she stops and turns to the wall as it melts.

"Shego! C'mon! We're leaving now!"

"No," Shego says quietly.

"WHAT?"

The wall continues to melt. The roar of the monster overtakes the whine of the engines. "Someone needs to deal with that thing or else it will just shoot you out of the sky," Shego says with a hint of sadness in her voice.

Kim gives her a look of sheer disbelief, "N…no! We're leaving together or not at all, _that_ was the deal!"

Shego grabs Kim suddenly in an almost crushing embrace, kissing her roughly and passionately. A lifetime of regrets and words left unspoken are communicated through her kiss and embrace. Shego finally releases Kim as her heroine gasps for air. Shego's eyes bore into Kim's soul. She does not smile nor does she frown.

"Deal's off."

She shoves Kim into the chopper and slams the door shut. She taps hard next to the pilot and turns around to the melting wall.

The chopper lifts off of the ground as the monster bursts through the melted wall. Shego calls on the power and charges her fists with plasma.

"Final round, mother fucker!"

It roars at her, forgetting the chopper as it flies away…

* * *

B-2 Bomber 'Lady's Grace' – 35,000 feet above Raccoon City

Colonel Mark Grayson could not get his hands to stop shaking as the weight of the world pressed down on his shoulders and his alone. In a few seconds he would make the final maneuver and then his thumb that was hovering over the release button would do what his President, his Country, ordered him to. He understood the gravity of the situation. He knew what was at stake. He also knew that there never was a nuclear detonation over a populated American city. He never though in all of his twenty plus years in the Air Force that he would be the one fated with perhaps the heaviest burden any soul could bear. Yet, America has called to him, and he would heed the call…

* * *

Kim cries and pounds her fists futilely at the doors. Tears stream down her cheeks as despair, loss and anger all mix together within her in a raging torrent. She frantically looks around for a parachute but finds none. The pilot barks at her in a frenzy of fear but she ignores him until one of her automatic pistols falls out of its holster. She picks it up and heads towards the cockpit. She places the gun against his helmet.

"Turn around… _NOW!_ "

* * *

Shego lets go. The internal barriers are lifted. All doubts, regrets and fears burn away like the plasma at her command. Well, all regrets except one. She leaps over its massive arm, raking her claws against it as she sails past. She takes to the air again the instant her feet touch the disintegrating floor. She comes in close, raking her claws at the horrid mockery of a face. Gore, mucus and bile splatter everywhere as she lets go…of everything!

She kicks one side of its split maw, cracking it, followed by a wave of plasma into what is left of the creature's face. She rides its massive body down as it crashes to the floor. Its claws flail about in a feeble attempt to defend itself. Shego will have none of it! There was only enough room on this earth for one such as her. She sat alone at her throne, and no… _pretender_ …could be allowed to live in her presence. Her arms spread wide in horrible glory, allowing the _pretender_ one last glimpse of _true power_. She leaps into the air as far above her the dot of a B-2 bomber briefly blots out the sun. She thrusts her arms out and screams as she unleashes… _everything!_

The blast hits the monster in the stomach as the force of the blow buckles the steel floor underneath it. The monster and most of the landing pad explodes, sending Shego sideways. The death cries of the monster fade as it fall to the floors below. Shego lands hard. The power is gone. She feels exhausted and… _tired_. Impossibly, from above her she hears the engine of a chopper! She forces an eye to open and the other opens in disbelief! The remains of the landing pad shudders and shakes from the continual structural damage as the chopper lands.

Kim leaps out, grabs Shego and drags her to the chopper. Shego cannot believe what her eyes are telling her! The scent is familiar, as are the soft but strong hands that lift her into the chopper…

* * *

B-2 Bomber 'Lady's Grace' – 35,000 feet above Raccoon City

The green light appears. He mutters a prayer for himself and the people below as his thumb presses the button. Missile Is Go, god help them all…

* * *

The chopper speeds through the air as Kim snaps her harness in place. Shego staggers back and forth as she tries in vain to gain a semblance of her balance. Kim reaches out to steady her as they both turn to the rear of the chopper then immediately turn away as a flash of light brighter than the sun itself bursts to life.

A moment later the shockwave hits. The chopper lurches violently as Shego falls against the door. The latches come undone as the door opens…

Time slows to a crawl. Shego falls out through the open door. Shego's eyes meet Kim's, wide in utter non-acceptance at her fate. Kim scream's Shego's name as she stretches toward her, her arm straining to grasp her hand as the chopper turns on its side. Their fingertips barely touch, and then Kim lunges with all of her strength.

Her hand grasps around Shego's and she holds on to her for dear life. The chopper wavers and leans to the other side as Shego now falls _into_ the chopper. She crashes into Kim as they fall back. Kim's head explodes in pain as she smacks into the wall. Then her world goes completely dark…


	15. Chapter 14

**A Moment's Peace…**

The computer beeped as she pressed the ENTER key. A gray box popped up on the monitor:

**MESSAGE SENT.**

**_LittleBoyBlue@EVL.Net_ **

**_CuddleBuddyLover4Ever!@EVL.NET_ **

Good. That's out of the way, one more to go.

Shego stares at her reflection in the small circular mirror on her desk as she thinks on how to compose this last message. The image stares back, of course, but it is taking a considerable amount of time to get used to. The black lipstick is gone as is the rest of the makeup. A natural beauty that only a select few ever had the chance to see is brought to the fore once again, perhaps forever. That beauty is marred by a scowl.

The image stares back at her.

The _normal_ Shego.

The color of her skin has not changed. Her skin tone is the same as everyone else, maybe a bit more tan than Kim, but it is still so…

_Normal._

She hates it to the very core of her soul.

A warm tropical breeze gusts through the open window next to her desk. The scent of lavender and cinnamon teases her nostrils as the wind dances over her incense burners. Normally she uses them when she meditates, it helps to clear her mind and focus. This morning they are having the opposite effect. Like she could focus anyway!

But she had to.

She needed to compose this message to allay the fears once the story got out if it had not already. Like everything else it was not hard for her to find the e-mail address, in fact, it was public. She did not want to use that one as it could eventually be traced back given enough time and resources. She did some digging, but she found it after only a few minutes of searching. It was a closed network but they make back doors for everything and _if you can't find one then you make one._

Shego sighs heavily as her fingers dance across the keyboard. The program prompts: FROM:. Now to think of a name. A million user names pop in her head but she discards them wholesale. She does not want to be witty or snippy, but she does not want to be so bland that the message might be discarded before the recipients read it. Minutes pass as she thinks. A frustrated sigh escapes her lips as she types: **A FRIEND OF KIM'S.** How original. But it gets the point across so it will have to do. The program prompts again: **TO:** She types in the two e-mail addresses.

**_APossible@MMC.gov_ **

**_JPossible@MSC.gov_ **

_Now to write the damn thing._ Her fingers stand at the ready on the keyboard.

But they do not move.

A minute passes. The five minutes. Ten. Twenty. She pushes herself away from the desk growling in frustration. She glances out of the window taking in the beauty of the sunrise over the ocean. One of the few guilty pleasures she allows herself to have. She had been up long before daybreak. She could not sleep. Oh, she _rested_ and felt refreshed but there were … _complications_.

A quick breakfast of a toasted bagel and cream cheese with a cup of strong black coffee started her day. A shower and then a change of clothes completed the morning ritual. She needed to know what she still had, if anything, so an hour was devoted to the gym. She lost strength, she was still stronger than most people, but the difference was immediately noticeable. Of course her powers were still gone that much she could feel, an emptiness of heat within her. She had nothing to channel, nothing to call forth the glow. The mirrors planted in the rooms of her lair were a constant reminder.

Then check in. Everything was the same, no change. With her mental checklist complete she went to the computer at her desk. She had two quick e-mails to send.

It took her over two hours to compose the first.

Now she was on the harder of the two.

_Fuck! They need to know! Pull yourself together and write the damn thing!_ She rolls the chair back to her desk and her fingers land where they were before. Still nothing.

Her eyes glance over the empty hypodermic contraption that _was_ possibly her last chance at returning to normal, well, normal for _her_ at least. Anger swells up within her and threatens to burst forth in murderous rage. Through sheer force of will she forces it down. She was denied the cure so the healing concoction that James and Kim used was the only thread left to explore. The foul taste of bitterness replaces the anger.

_No, Shego. That's not right and you know it. You did what you had to do; there was no other choice really._

I know! But it doesn't make me feel any better! I don't have to tell you that I _wanted_ to use it! But I couldn't lose _both…_

_I know you did, and_ she _wanted you to use it too._

_That's_ why I'm so pissed off! I still don't understand what was going through that empty skull of hers!

_It's simple: she's a hero, it's what they do…it's what_ you _used to do._

Don't go there.

_You can't lie to me, I know you. That's why you didn't use it when you had the chance. You can't blame her; she did everything in her power and beyond to keep you safe, they all did._

You don't fucking think I know that? But I gotta blame someone.

_Blame Umbrella. They did this to you after all. But you know who's really to blame._

Fuck you! Don't you dare-

_You know who I blame. How many times did you stare at death's door? How about the others? You could've escaped with everyone but no, you had to get your powers back!_

Of course I did, doy!

_Failure is becoming a familiar road for you, isn't it?_

Ouch, that _really_ hurts.

_You don't let anyone else talk to you like this you always refuse to hear the truth from others. You can't escape it from me!_

Shut up! Just shut up!

_No! I can't, nor will I stop in the future. For once in your miserable lonely life you need to take responsibility for your actions!_

Fuck off; I do what I want when I want!

_Yes and you do a wonderful job at being selfish. There were there to help, against all reason and sanity they stood by you and look what happened. What happened to Ash? Where's your armored protector, James? Do you think they survived?_

Stop, stop this! I-I can't-

_Are you gonna cry now? The master thief and cosmic powered super villain brought low by her own brain. Could that actually BE the emotion of regret you feel? Yes, I think it is!_

Stop it!

* * *

"Stop it!"

Her eyes open, the lair is hazy thanks to her tears but the other voice in her head stops the torment. She takes in a shuddering breath then another as she composes herself. She always hates it when she gets into an argument with herself. It does not happen often but that stupid nagging little voice does pop in from time to time.

_Why now? I can't take this! Focus! Focus on the message. You can do this Shego! You have to!_

Her hands are no longer steady as they begin typing on the keyboard. Moments pass but her resolve gets no stronger. Her fingers are unsteady and she backspaces a bunch of times to fix the typos. She reads over the message once and clicks **SEND**.

The message took less than five minutes to type but a virtual lifetime to compose. _That was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my life!_

Then the moment that she has been dreading: she receives an answer back from her first message. She only needs to scan the heading to get the gist of it. She scowls. _One problem solved, another gained. Shit, I'm gonna owe them both big time for this!_

A low moan carries from one of the bedrooms. Shego moves in a flash! _Crap, I forgot to check her!_ The bedroom is the size of a large studio apartment. Long, heavy, mahogany curtains keep the morning's rays out, keeping the bedroom dark and cool, which is the way she prefers it. Well, the central air helps a bit too to keep the tropical heat at bay. She scans one of her most private of sanctums for any change. There is none.

_False alarm._ _You hear that, heart? You can slow down anytime now!_

Her heart listens somewhat but the feeling of anxiousness refuses to unseat itself from the pit of her stomach. There is a slight movement on the huge bed. Her 'guest' is still at rest. There's a first! A guest in her most private lair, not even Drakken or any of her henchmen were every permitted to set foot on her island. In fact her 'guest' is the main reason for her being somewhat sleep deprived.

The moment that she _truly_ dreaded was approaching. Her 'guest' had to wake up sooner or later. The anxious feeling in her stomach only continued to grow at the mere thought of it. _Get a hold of yourself,_ she scolded herself angrily, _get back under control!_

Easier said than done. There is more movement from the bed followed by a small whimper that sounded more lost than anything else. Despite the anxious feeling in her stomach another emotion swells within her heart, a feeling that she has not come to terms with yet, mainly from her own insecurities and thoughts of the future. A small, girlish groan issues from the bed followed by more fevered movement. Shego could imagine the horrible nightmare that her 'guest' must be having. _Space, Shego, space. Give it time._ She stood at the threshold of the bedroom, using every ounce of willpower to stay rooted to the spot. It would take more to step away, alas, she had none to spare. A moan followed by another whimper, even more pitiful than the last, started to erode what will she has left. _It's getting worse_ , she thought.

She was right.

* * *

_The world is complete and utter chaos!_

_The whining of the chopper engine screams in her ears as she struggles to fasten the lanyard to the secure hook. The chopper lurches from left to right as it gains speed and altitude. Kim's eyes widen in horror as, impossible, she can make out the outline of the missile dipping down below the clouds._

_We're not gonna make it! Her eyes meet the only other passenger in the chopper as the pilot screams at them to close the fucking DOOR, but in a much harsher choice of words. The chopper lurches violently as the other passenger falls out through the open door._

" _SHEGO!"_

_Kim's arms reach out for her as she leaps forward to catch her before she falls out completely. The world slows to a crawl. Shego's hands reach out towards Kim's as she falls. Kim stretches toward her straining against the safety harness._

_Their fingertips barely touch._

_Shego's eyes go wide in utter non-acceptance of her final fate. Kim screams her name as she falls out of the chopper. The chopper tilts and rocks as a massive shockwave hits it, turning the chopper on its side._

_Their eyes never leave the other as Shego falls, her hand still outstretched to Kim. Below her is a flash so bright that it dwarfs the sun. A ball of fire consumes what once was Raccoon City and the surrounding environs. The tell-tale mushroom cloud billows toward the sky. Kim screams her name as Shego cries out right as she falls through the cloud._

_The chopper is rocked by secondary explosions and starts to break apart. Kim watches in horror as Shego disappears, still screaming her name. The mushroom cloud rises up to the falling chopper._

_Kim's last words on earth are a cry for her most powerful nemesis._

"SHEGO!"

* * *

Kim bolts upright, pulling the covers around her as she cries out in horror! The light in this unfamiliar place is too dim for her eyes to make out anything. In a panic, she cries again.

"SHEGO!"

"I'm here, Princess, I'm here. Hush, it's okay, everything's okay," Shego's voice impossibly coos back from the grave.

Warm arms envelop Kim in a tight embrace. The scent is _very_ familiar. "Sh-Shego? I-Is that r-really y-you?"

"Yes, princess, it's me. Don't worry, you're safe. Safe here with me." She holds her hero for dear life. Her hands clasp around Kim's chest in an effort to quell her fears and relax the fury of Kim's beating heart.

"Y-you're alive? You're alive!"

Kim wrenches herself from Shego's grip enough to turn around and return the hug. "Shego! You're alive," Kim cries as she buries her face in Shego's neck.

"Yes, yes I am," she whispers to her, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Kim's body shudders and convulses as emotions, repressed for so long, break free in a torrent of tears and cries of joy. "I-I thought I lost you," she cried into Shego's chest, "I reached out for you, but you were too far away! I…I couldn't reach you!"

"You got me, Kimmie, you got me," she replies quietly through her tears.

"It was so r-real! Sh-Shego I-"

"It was a bad dream, Kim, that's all, just a bad dream," she coos as she cradles Kim's head against her, stroking strands of dirty hair away from her face.

The hero and villain held each other for what seems like an eternity, sobbing and crying as their emotions run their course. Shego regains her composure first and tries to break Kim from her hug to talk to her once she is back under control, but the distraught girl flinches and whines as she continues to bury her head in Shego's chest basking in her scent, her warmth and her presence. Shego tries again but Kim flat out refuses to budge. Shego holds her until Kim finally regains some of her composure and pushes herself away.

She looked like hell. Her long red hair was still dirty and caked with mud and other undesirable filth. Normally Shego would have simply killed anyone who slept in one of her beds when they were in such a state, but she could make an allowance this time. Still, something needed to be done.

Shego slid off of the bed, pulling Kim with her. "C'mon," she said still using a quiet, gentle voice, "Let's get you cleaned up."

Kim did not reply but dutifully followed her commands. Shego led her to the bathroom and slid open the shower door. Shego stole a glance at Kim, noting the glazed look in her eyes. _Poor girl, she's in shock._ In fact she was mentally as well as emotionally exhausted. Shego felt drained too, but she had to take charge of this situation. She turned the shower faucets on and water began cascading down like a waterfall.

The bathroom was luxurious and spoke of at least two other guilty pleasures Shego enjoyed. The shower itself was big, easily fitting three normal sized people in it. It came with multiple faucets that created the waterfall effect that she so loved. A full hot tub also kept the shower company.

Shego turned around to face Kim. God, did she look like hell! "All right, Kimmie, let's get those dirty clothes off of you."

Kim complied wordlessly. To her credit, Shego walked around her so that she was behind her, giving Kim a feeling of trust and modesty, and she also kept her jumpsuit on. "There you go," Shego said as Kim removed the last dirty article, "Let's get started, after you."

Kim stepped into the shower, followed closely by Shego. The older woman slid the door shut as Kim entered the waterfall. After a few moments Shego gently grasped Kim's arm and pulled her back to her. Kim's back was still in front of Shego as she opened a bottle of her favorite shampoo and poured it into her hands.

"You don't want any of this getting in your eyes, it'll sting," she warns gently.

She waited a few seconds for Kim to do as she directed and then she applied the shampoo and slowly washed the hero's long red hair. Shego was not really thinking about it but she was chaste with the girl as she went through the process of washing her. She took a long time with Kim's hair wanting to make sure it was done right. Since she spent so much time on her own she knew how to do it right. When she finished she told Kim to step forward into the waterfall. Kim complied easily enough and did not raise a hand, letting Shego do all of the work. To Shego the activity was actually enjoyable on a level she had never considered before. There was nothing sexual about their contact, but enjoyable on a whole new level for Shego: the act of helping without asking for something in return. This was definitely new to Shego. Next she took a sponge and spread her favorite body soap on it, bringing it to a full lather. She called Kim to step back, which she did and Shego moved her hair to one side. She started scrubbing her bare shoulder and worked her way all over her back. She moved the hair to the other side and scrubbed the other shoulder. Then she worked her way down the small of her back toward her thighs.

Shego hesitated waiting to hear any kind of complaint from Kim but none was forthcoming. She kneeled down cleaning the lower back portion of the hero and her feet. She straightened herself up and stepped forward, almost touching Kim's bare back. Shego dangled the sponge in front of her.

"Take it and wash the rest of yourself. I have to dry off and see if I can find some clothes for you to wear. I'll be back in a few, Princess."

Kim took the sponge and did what she ordered. Shego stepped out of the shower, stripped off the wet jumpsuit and wrapped herself in a long towel. She left the bathroom and the bedroom altogether. She marched to the _main_ bedroom, more like a sleeping chamber fit for royalty! Hey, most of that money had to go somewhere, didn't it? Work and play!

The master chamber could take in two bedrooms that Kim slept in. That was how Shego designed it. Her lair had four distinct wings, based more on her moods rather than functionality, each wing held all the amenities needed for living comfortably. The master chamber was a nexus of sorts, or more like the center of the spider web as each wing could be accessed from here. True to her ego, the bed stands in the center, designed like the others only larger and even more ornate. Only the best would suffice for the world's greatest thief. Motion lights activate as she enters, bathing the chamber in a soft blue glow. She throws the towel to the floor and opens one of the world's largest armoires.

_What to wear, what to wear._ She decides against wearing another jumpsuit, instead thinking of how to keep her 'guest' as relaxed as she can. Silk panties, black socks and a long green T-shirt is the quick outfit. It is not like she is expecting to entertain any other guests anyway. The hard part is finding something suitable for Kim to wear. She rummages through the armoire looking for any old clothes that could possible fit her. It takes her less than a minute to go through the armoire but she sighs in frustration as she can't find anything that approaches her size.

_I thought I kept some of my older clothes here,_ she thinks as she moves to the walk in closet and starts rifling through dresses, lingerie, _whoa, don't go there girl,_ and simple summer wear. Shirts, pants, and _very_ expensive dresses fly out of the closet as she digs deeper. After a few minutes she growls in frustration as she still comes out empty handed. _I can't let her parade around my lair buck naked, can I? I could though…no! Get your mind out of the gutter Shego!_ At a loss she goes back to the first armoire and digs out another long green T-shirt, black socks, and the smallest pair of silk panties she could find on such short notice. _There! Everything should fit, I think, well, I hope!_ She could feel her face burn in embarrassment as the next thought pops in her brain. _You realize you're gonna let Kim, your arch- nemesis; wear one of your most unmentionable unmentionables, don't you?_ _Shut up, brain! Don't even think about it!_ With her little internal monologue finished she makes a dash back to the 'guest bathroom'.

Kim had already dried herself off and is in the process of wrapping herself in a long black bath towel as Shego runs in. Kim turns to her with a small smile on her lips; all of her hair is pulled to one side of her face, framing the perfect picture with those sparkling eyes and her smile.

"I…I have some clothes for you," Shego stammers, intensely embarrassed as she thrusts the wad of clothing at her.

"Please and thank you," she says sweetly.

Shego turns around to give Kim some privacy. "I couldn't find anything in your size, I'm afraid those will have to do until I get your clothes cleaned," she says apologetically but sounds infinitely more embarrassed than apologetic.

"Thank you very much Shego," Kim says warmly and sincerely.

"You decent yet?"

"Almost…There, I'm good."

Shego turns around as Kim stands in front of her, wearing the same 'outfit' as her. The shirt is too big for her, but it would do for now. The hero and the villain suddenly find themselves in an uncomfortable silence that causes Kim to blush and Shego to blush harder.

"Um, you hungry? Come with me and I'll make you something to eat. You must be starving."

Kim nodded and then turned towards her dirty mission outfit. "Leave it, I'll get it later and make sure everything gets cleaned."

"Oh, okay."

"Follow me, pumpkin."

* * *

Shego leads Kim to a well stocked and high-tech kitchen. A white circular table clashes against the black and green theme of most of the rooms in the lair. Two wooden chairs are placed at either end of the table. Shego pulls one out and motions for Kim to sit, which she does. Shego grabs the other chair and places it closer to Kim. She walks to the large stainless steel refrigerator and opens it.

"You thirsty? I have fresh squeezed orange juice mixed with bananas and papaya. I also have coffee, tea, and water. What do you want?"

"I'll try the orange juice," Kim says as her face brightens even more, "that sounds delicious!"

Shego nods, "It is."

In the back of Kim's mind nagging questions try in vain to come to the fore, _why is she doing this? Where am I? Why is she being so…nice?_ A glass shakes her from her thoughts as Shego pours the juice concoction into it. Then she fills up a glass of her own with the stuff.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," Shego mumbles to her, finding the words awkward and almost alien, "I got just the thing to help you get your strength back. Are you allergic to any specific fruits?"

Kim shakes her head, "No, I don't think so."

Shego smiles, "Good. Give me a minute to whip up a special favorite of mine."

Shego busies herself preparing Kim's meal. Kim takes the time to let her eyes wander around the kitchen area. A large set of glass doors lead out to a wooden balcony that overlooks the island. Kim stares out and marvels at the scenic beauty of the sun shining down on the palm trees. _This place is magnificent! Just how rich is she, and if she is that rich, what is she doing working for Drakken?_

Her reverie is interrupted by a large bowl that Shego places in front of her. "A fruit salad of my own making, made from only tropical fruits and berries with a light caramelized sauce, also made by me. Here, I'll show you."

She stabs a fork into it and quickly devours it. She makes a show of how delicious it is, and the act is not faked in the slightest! She hands the fork back over to Kim and sits down next to her. Kim takes the fork reluctantly at first but the emptiness in her stomach takes over. Kim takes a bite. Her eyes widen in complete surprise at the explosion of flavor. She swallows and for a moment her eyes roll back in her head as she savors the taste.

Shego grins as she reads Kim's reaction. "Told you!"

"Shego! This…this is… _sooo_ … _good!_ "

"Doy! I made it!"

After coming down from that little foodgasm Kim proceeds to devour everything in the bowl. Shego barely has time to reach for her glass and take a sip of her drink before Kim thrusts the bowl in her face.

"More, please?"

"Sure."

It does not take her much longer to finish off her second helping. She hovers the empty bowl in front of Shego again. "Can I have a little more, please?"

Shego cannot help but smile at her sheepish voice. "Of course, pumpkin, you can have as much as you want."

She eats two more bowls but she eats them slower than the first two. Shego does not say anything letting her 'guest' eat. She does marvel at the amount of food she can put away. Kim blushes as she notices Shego watching her eat, but that does not stop her from her mission. Finally she places the fork in the empty bowl, mission accomplished.

"That was delicious," she gushes with a smile.

"I'm glad you liked it," Shego says sincerely with a smile.

Kim tackles the juice and gulps it down quickly. "That was so amazing," Kim exclaims, "I didn't know you knew how to make something like that! That caramel sauce was heaven!"

"I'm a fairly decent cook," she deadpans, "You should try my lasagna, it's to die for."

The hero's eyes go wide," Really? Can I?"

Shego was taken aback by the girl's sudden enthusiasm, "Um, maybe later, princess. First I want you to relax and gain back your strength. You were knocked out for over a day and I want to make sure you are comfortable as you get better."

"A whole day? L…last I remember-"

"Let's not talk about that here," Shego interrupts her as she stands up from the table, "Let's go to my favorite place and talk, you'll be more relaxed there."

"Oh, um, okay," Kim says as she stands up from the table.

Shego leads her to her central chamber. The motion lights activate bathing the chamber in a soft blue glow. "Lights," Shego commands. The mood lights die, replaced with a dim but more natural lighting.

"Shego," Kim says, concern rising in her voice, "Are we-"

"Yes. Yes we are," Shego says with a pleasant tone of finality.

"Wow!"

Shego cannot help but smile in pleasure at Kim's wide-eyed expression. Shego lets Kim enter first. Kim takes a hesitant step then another. "Feel free to look around," Shego says, "Oh, and don't mind the mess on the floor. I was looking for clothes for you to wear, but I couldn't find anything in your size, go figure."

Kim hears her talking but is not really listening as she takes in the epic masterpiece that is Shego's bedroom. She walks up to the bed and lets her fingers dangle across the silken sheets, marveling at the softness. Her head turns to Shego, a look of shock on her face.

"Nothing but the best," Shego comments as she steps into her bedroom.

"I…I've never felt anything so soft," Kim breathes in wonder.

Shego jumps onto the bed playfully, "This is my favorite place in the whole world. Here I know I'm safe."

Kim stares at Shego with a curious but defensive look on her face. Shego notices and asks, "What's wrong?"

"Shego," she says flatly, "Why did you bring me here?"

"This is one of the few places where I can totally relax. I thought it might help you do the same."

"Really? _Your bedroom?"_

"Yeah, I-," then she understands Kim's meaning and blushes madly," Oh."

Kim chuckles to herself and jumps onto the bed, all thoughts of her nightmare are gone. _Maybe this could work_ , she thinks to herself as she gets comfortable. Silence passes between them for long moments as they gather their thoughts.

For Shego the silence means the return of anxiety in the pit of her stomach. She had so many burning questions for the girl, but where to start? Also, did she _really_ want to know the answers? Having her in her presence, so close, what would happen? The follow-through to that particular question replaces her anxiety with a measure of fear and dread. Maybe some things were better left unasked after all. Some roads perhaps were never meant to be traveled. The consequences to both would be final there was no way around it _._ If word ever got out to the Syndicate that would be the end for both of them, no questions would be asked, no quarter given. Also the end probably would not be quick; tales were passed down over the years about such episodes and the ending was always… _messy_. For some reason there were rules about this sort of thing and almost every rule described in horrific and explicit detail what would happen to the offenders and their families when the rules were violated. _So was that it then? After years of hidden emotions and repressed desires a moment of introspection destroys it all? Is that the answer? Can it destroy everything that has led up to this moment? Will I let it tear us apart before anything happens? If you go through this you seal her death warrant as well as your own, do you want that? Can you live with yourself knowing that?_

For Kim the silence allows her to turn her thoughts inward. The thoughts lead to questions yet unanswered. _I've never seen Shego like this before! Is it because she's lost her powers? She can't be thinking of leading a normal life, could she? No, that's not like her. So why is she being so nice to me? Why did she care for me while I was knocked out? Does she still have feelings for me? Were they even real to start with? I did what I had to do to escape, but…but…_

"Shego," Kim says quietly as she turns to face the raven-haired beauty lying across from her just a short distance away.

"Yes," is the equally quiet reply.

An awkward moment of silence passes. "Thank you for taking care of me. Thank you…for everything."

Another even more awkward moment of stillness goes by. "You're welcome, Kimberly," she states in a very low, soft tone.

_Kimberly? She did it again! She said my real name! What happened to the pet names? What's going on here?_

"K-Kimmie," Shego starts hesitantly, perhaps realizing the naming error.

"Yeah, Shego?"

"I-I should be the one thanking you, you know, for rescuing me? I'd never made it out of there alive if it wasn't for you. T-Thank you."

She was going to say _no big_ , but the gravity of the moment prevented that. She was shocked at the intense sincerity in her voice, the purity of those last two words, spoken honestly. "Y-your wel-welcome," she manages to stammer out.

A long embarrassing moment of silence stretches before them. Shego's mind goes back to war with itself over what she was thinking about just a moment ago. Kim's mind is still reeling from the force of Shego's simple offer of thanks. She forces her mind to focus.

"I…I have a question for you Shego."

"What is it?"

Shego could see the struggle on Kim's face as she fights through an internal battle with herself to muster up the courage to ask her question. She eventually wins out. "Shego," she asks hesitantly then takes a deep breath to steady herself before continuing, "Why didn't you use the cure when you had it?" She scratches at the scar on the center of her chest absent-mindedly. "I told you not to use it on me, but you didn't listen. Why?"

"Isn't it obvious," she answers quietly but with a strained edge in her voice, "You would've turned into one of those zombies if I didn't. Even before then there were too many times to count when things got too close. My mind kept telling me that you were gonna die and it was entirely my fault."

"No it wasn't," Kim protests but her argument is cut short with a raised finger to her lips to silence her.

"Hush, Kim. Don't argue with me, I know the truth and the truth is you would've never come after me if I'd never sent you that message. You never would've seen the zombies and the other monsters. If it wasn't for me you never would've been bitten."

Kim glances at the mostly healed scar on her arm. "I am to blame," Shego continues sullenly, "I had to use it or else you would be dead. I…I couldn't let that happen, damnit!"

She sniffs back a torrent of tears and forces her body to quit from shuddering. Once composed, she continues, "I…I knew I had to make a choice. If it happened all over again I still would've made the same choice, my powers be damned!"

"Shego," she says weakly.

"Damnit, Kimberly! I made my decision in a split second; there was no time for deep soul searching. Was I angry at you? Hell yes! I was _beyond_ rage at your _stupidity_ to tell me to use the cure on myself while you were changing into a zombie right before my eyes! I've almost always relied on myself for everything, Kimmie. But I know now that I was wrong. For a long time I…"

She stops, her lips pursed in a thoughtful frown. Kim can plainly see the internal struggle she is having at that moment on how to continue. She remains silent, waiting for Shego.

"…I don't care if you feel the same as I do but…I _need_ you! For all of the wrong reasons, and for all of the right ones. It's stupid, idiotic and makes no fucking sense whatsoever! I…I changed the moment you kicked me into that tower. At first I thought it was just physical, but that was plain weird since I've never been attracted to girls. But it is more, so much more! We've been through hell together and coming to terms with how we feel about each other. _Then_ you get bit and I get to watch you waste away! I can stand the loss of my powers…I couldn't stand to lose _you_."

"Shego…" Kim stammers, overcome with emotion and at a loss for words.

The conversation drops into silence as each is left with their own thoughts. Shego is the one who breaks the silence.

"Kimberly," Shego asks after a while longer, her voice softer but still serious, "I…I have a question to ask you now."

"What is it," Kim asks as she leans closer to the woman, wanting nothing more than to wrap her arms around her in an eternal hug.

"Why…why did you come back for me?"

Kim stares into her vibrant eyes. She forces her suddenly unresponsive legs and arms to move at her command, getting into a kneeling position directly in front of Shego. _She asked!_ Shego gets into a sitting position as she waits for the answer. Her head jerks involuntarily as she feels a touch at her cheeks. She realizes that the touch is from Kim's fingers. She relaxes as Kim's hands take hold of either side of her face. The warmth is a welcomed presence. The woman's eyes meet the hero's and at that moment Kimberly Anne Possible never looked more beautiful to her.

"Shego," Kim says quietly, her voice full of emotion, "I…I couldn't leave you there. I…I forced the pilot to turn around, even threatened his life if he didn't. I couldn't leave you to die. I…I _had_ to save you!"

"I'm not saying I'm ungrateful but that would've been a good death. At least I could've gone out as a hero," Shego states matter-of-factly, "I thought you were gone."

Shego flinches in surprise as Kim's hands cup each cheek. Kim gently positions Shego's face until they make eye contact. Her look is severe. "No one deserves to die like that, no one! I couldn't let you go! I'm _not_ letting you go! I…I…need…"

" _Kim_ ," Shego warns desperately as Kim leans in.

" _Shego, I need you too,_ " she whispers as their lips touch.

Shego's entire body tenses immediately, more from fear of the future than the passion that Kim put into her kiss. In the end Kim's passion won out over Shego's fear and Shego practically melted into Kim's arms.

Yet again Shego was completely overcome by the girl's unending reservoir of passion. Shego's heart thumped madly in her chest as Kim slowly broke off contact. Kim pressed her forehead against Shego's breathing deeply from the surge of emotion erupting within her.

"I…I still remember our fight. I…I remember all of those…things…you said," Kim says deeply, huskily, "I've thought about it, dreamt about it…I've wanted you to do all of those things for so long!"

_What about your reputation_ , _what about HER'S_ her brain screams at her. "Kimmie," Shego exclaims in shock, "Maybe…we shouldn't do this! What about our reputations? You need to know about-"

She is rudely cut off by another round of passion delivered by Kim's soft peach lips. Kim could feel Shego's body tense up again and then relax a moment later as she _finally_ gives in. Shego returns the kiss with the force of her own passion and repressed desires. Their kissing escalates the passions of both and both pant heavily after coming up for air. Shego raises her head enough to meet Kim's gaze.

"You…you don't care, do you," she asks breathlessly and then issues a deep sigh of resignation.

Kim's answer is wordless but gets the point across. She smiles sweetly and rubs the tip of her nose against Shego's in a playful Eskimo kiss. She leaned in to kiss Shego again, this time gently forcing her to lie back on the bed. Their passions intertwined and escalated until more needed to be done. It felt right, it _was_ right! All of their repressed desires and emotions were coming to the fore in this moment.

It is a fitting end to their shared past.

It is a bright new beginning.

A moment to be shared.

Cherished.

Loved.

Forever.

And ever…

* * *

Kim Possible ignores the whine of the chopper engines as she stares at the island below. Clad in her mission outfit, she was returning home with one hell of a story to tell! Apparently GJ is not the only one to call in favors with friends in high places as the chopper arrived at a specific time right as she was ready to go. The island shrinks as the chopper picks up speed, but Kim does not alter her gaze from the dwindling island and its lone occupant. She turns away only when the last vestige of the island disappears out of sight.

The lone occupant of the island is wearing a dark green summer dress as she watches the chopper vanish in the distance. She turns back to head back into the lair, a sad but wistful expression on her face, her complexion only a few shades lighter than the dress, if only in the right light.


	16. The End Credits

_Kim Possible: Christy Romano_

_Shego: Nicole Sullivan_

_Wade Load: Tahj Mowry_

_Ash Williams: Buce Campbell_

_Annie: Denise Bixler_

_James: Cpl. James (Censored) R.I.P Man..._

_Doctor Dr. Trask Wagner: Dr. Trask Wagner_ **__**

* * *

**_ D _ **

**_ R _ **

**_ A _ **

**_ G _ **

**_ O _ **

**_ L _ **

**_ O _ **

**_ R _ **

**_ D _ **

**_ 1 _ **

**_ 9 _ **

**_ D _ **

* * *

**_ Epilogue/Teaser: I need a Hero… _ **

_Elsewhere…_

"Dr. Trask, how is Project: Hellstorm proceeding?"

The normally unflappable scientist swallowed and answered the seemingly unassuming older woman.

"Ahh, Ma'am. We believe that…"

He nearly swallows his tongue when she raises her hand, stopping him.

"Please, Dr. Trask, call me by my name."

He jarringly nods, "Yes, Ma'…" he swallows again at the glare she shoots him "… _Ro_ , we believe that Shego and Miss. Possible survived the nuclear strike and are on Shego's private island as we speak."

He shuffled though a file before him nervously.

"We intercepted an e-mail to her employer and a Miss. Amy Hall. According to the contents, we believe that either Miss. Possible or Shego has a sample of RA-IS*."

She nods, "We knew that was…" she chuckles "… _Possible_ … and how, pray tell, are the X-11B's?"

Trask laughs nervously, "I-I'm afraid that we're still suffering from… _overheating_ problems…"

One of the other two occupants of the room leans forward. "What do you mean ' _Still suffering from overheating problems?_ ' You assured us with Shego's data you could SOLVE that overheating PROBLEM! Do you KNOW how much MONEY we just LOST?"

He stopped his rant when Ro raised her hand again, "Enough, Paul. Dr. Trask here has only had the data for, What? 48 hours?"

Trask swallows, "Y-yes…"

She nods, "I say we give Dr. Trask another 48 hours so he can compile the data and give us a better overall picture, Agreed?"

The two men nod their agreement.

She turns back to Trask, "Thank you, Dr. Trask. That will be all."

After Trask hurriedly gathers his files together and hurries out Ro turns to the other man who hadn't spoken, "Terry, what's wrong? You're quieter then usual."

The man in question starts twirling a thin needle, "Sumthing feels… _wrong_."

Ro cocks an eyebrow at the comment, "What do you mean by _wrong_ , Terry?"

The man shrugs, "Don't know, I just feel that sumthing's off…"

She nods, "All right Terry…" She stands, "If that's all for this meeting…"

As they turn to leave she turns back to Paul, "oh, Paul, our bet…"

He shakes his head as he pulled an $100 bill out of his pocket, "How DID you know Shego would escape Raccoon?"

* * *

Trask storms into his office and slams the folder onto his desk, "Damn it!"

He grabs a picture frame and throws it, "Damn you mother!"

He storms out, leaving the broken frame laying on the floor.

The slammed door blows the freed picture over, showing a younger Trask and Ro, Ro holding a dark-haired child in her arms.

* * *

"That's easy Paul," She laughs as she accepted the bill, "A mother SHOULD know her daughter…"

* * *

**_Two weeks later, Shego's private island_ **

" _G-get out of here!"_

" _N-no…"_

" _G-go…" Kim falls over, choking on her own blood, "GO!"_

_Shego slams the cure into her heroine's chest, "NO I WON'T LEAVE YOU!"_

_The redhead shakes and falls still._

" _K-kim…?"_

_Kim starts pushing herself up._

" _Kim?"_

 _The hope that burned in her chest dies at the next sound out of the redhead's mouth, "_ Mmmrrraaahhhh… _"_

_Shego points her pistol at the gray-skinned mockery of the redhead, "Kim… I'm sorry…"_

_BAM!_

_She looks at what was once the love of her life as she lifts the gun barrel to her forehead, "I'll see you soon, Kim…"_

_BAM!_

* * *

Shego sits up, sweating. "GOD!"

It had been two weeks since she and Kim had escaped the dead city know as Raccoon City and she had probably slept 72 hours since then.

The most dangerous woman in the world laid in her bed, shivering.

She had tried sleeping pills, drinking herself unconscious, she had even tried a sleep ray Dr. D had build a few years back, nothing worked for long. She would fall asleep and wake a few hours later screaming, she never remembered what the dreams were about but all she knew was they wouldn't let her sleep.

Shego looks at her phone and thinks, ' _Maybe… maybe I need a hero…_ "

**_-THE END-_ **

This will be continued in Resident Evil: The Kim Possible Files 2; The Shadow War


End file.
